Department for Transport

Airports

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what representations he has received on utilising existing airport capacity in the UK to 2030 in the last month.

Mr Robert Goodwill: I have regular meetings with airports, their industry bodies and other aviation partners.The Government set out in the 2013 Aviation Policy Framework that we would be supportive of airports making best use of their existing capacity, provided economic and environmental impacts are taken into account.

River Thames: Bridges

Adam Holloway: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will not make a decision on the choice of Thames Crossing options A and C until a decision is made on the proposed London Paramount theme park.

Andrew Jones: The Government is committed to a new Lower Thames crossing. There is a need for increased capacity across the River Thames due to growth in general traffic and a range of developments in the Thames Gateway, including housing planned around Ebbsfleet. The location and route needs to be decided following further public consultation, expected to begin early this year, to ensure that the new crossing can be in place as soon as possible.

Dartford-Thurrock Crossing: Road Traffic

Adam Holloway: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps are being taken to reduce congestion at the northbound entrance to the Dartford Tunnel caused by lorries carrying dangerous cargo being stopped and investigated.

Andrew Jones: Highways England is continuing to work to reduce times for dangerous goods vehicles which are prohibited from entering the tunnels and need to be removed, or to release vehicles in escorted convoys to ensure smooth traffic flow while ensuring safety of users. Since the road layout changes at the Crossing were completed in 2015, fewer but larger convoys are used to minimise disruption with the number of convoys reducing to 70 - 80 per day from around 110 per day, which equates to a reduction of around a third.Clear road signs already provide advance instruction for drivers of dangerous goods vehicles and are enforceable by regulations. Work is also underway with the freight industry to educate drivers of restricted vehicles what lane or route to take to avoid being stopped, which causes delays for other drivers.

Dartford: Bridges

Adam Holloway: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether the Government plans to build an additional bridge at Dartford.

Andrew Jones: Two locations are being considered for the new Lower Thames crossing: ‘Option A’ close to the existing Dartford Thurrock crossing, and ‘Option C’, to the east of Tilbury and Gravesend, which would connect the A2 and M2 to the M25 via the A13.

River Thames: Bridges

Adam Holloway: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment his Department has made of the potential arrangements for compensation required for people living in Thurrock and Dartford or Gravesend in the event of another river crossing being constructed at Dartford or to the east of Gravesend.

Andrew Jones: The route of the new Lower Thames crossing will be subject to public consultation early this year, and local people will be given their chance to express their views. Until the route is decided upon, it is too early to say what arrangements for compensation may be appropriate.

Dartford-Thurrock Crossing: Road Traffic

Adam Holloway: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps the Government is taking to help reduce traffic congestion on the northbound approaches to the Dartford Tunnel.

Andrew Jones: Removing the need to pay at barriers has already reduced congestion and eased traffic flow. Latest data shows that Dart Charge has successfully improved journeys through the Crossing with average journey times northbound almost 5 minutes quicker than before the charge was introduced.A new road layout has been introduced at the Crossing including a new Traffic Safety System on the northbound carriageway on the approach to the tunnels. This improves the way oversized vehicles or those carrying dangerous goods are prevented from entering the tunnels and holds traffic to allow the safe escort of hazardous goods vehicles or in the event of an incident or congestion in the tunnels.However, Highways England recognises that there is still more work to do. Planned improvements include:Fine-tuning the operation of the new Traffic Safety System to continue to maximise traffic flow while ensuring safety to users.Working with Kent County Council as a matter of priority to improve local traffic flows. In particular, this will assess how traffic signals can be better synchronised where the local road network meets the strategic roads network to get the best out of the network and what improvements can be made at key junctions.Work with the freight industry to educate drivers of restricted vehicles, including what lane or route to take to avoid being stopped at the barriers.I have written to Highways England requesting an update on their progress.

Dartford-Thurrock Crossing: Road Traffic

Adam Holloway: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if his Department will make an assessment of the potential effect on congestion at the Dartford Tunnel of increasing the number of Channel Tunnel freight trains that off-load north of the River Thames.

Claire Perry: The Department is not planning to make such an assessment. Channel Tunnel rail freight trains with loads for destinations beyond London would be expected to continue on the rail network rather than off-loading in the London area.

Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency: Staff

Kirsten  Oswald: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many staff vacancies there are at the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency; and what assessment he has made of the effect of the level of those vacancies on (a) staff workloads, (b) staff morale and (c) relations between staff and management.

Andrew Jones: The planned target for staff numbers, published in the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency business plan, is no more than 4470 full time equivalent (FTE) staff by 31 March 2016. The DVSA FTE as at 30 November was 4,396.59 with a difference of 73.41 FTE (vacant posts).DVSA is aware that the level of change ongoing within the agency may have impacted on staff, their workloads and their relationships with management.A) The select use of temporary promotion and contingent labour has mitigated most of the impact on the workload of staff.B) While the results of the recent Civil Service staff engagement survey has shown that staff morale is lower than in previous years, this cannot clearly be linked to the level of vacancies. DVSA has been through a period of significant change which Senior Management believe is more likely to have had an impact on morale. A number of initiatives are being put in place to address levels of staff engagement and morale.C) The Civil Service staff engagement survey did show that relations between managers and staff at the local level were good. However, staff were less content with managers at senior levels who were more likely to be associated with issues of concern to many staff, such as the merger, restructuring and modernised terms and conditions.

British Transport Police

Paula Sherriff: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many British Transport Police officers he estimates will be deployed in (a) 2015-16, (b) 2016-17, (c) 2017-18, (d) 2018-19 and (e) 2019-20.

Claire Perry: The British Transport Police currently has 3,046 officers, which is the largest number of officers since the creation of the British Transport Police Authority in 2004. The number of officers in future years will vary in response to operational needs, including specific initiatives such as the introduction of the Night Tube in London.

British Transport Police: Finance

Paula Sherriff: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he plans to protect spending on the British Transport Police in real terms over the Spending Review period.

Claire Perry: Funding for the British Transport Police is not derived directly from a specific Government grant but from holders of police service agreements. However, the Department has made clear to the British Transport Police Authority that it considers that any efficiencies it seeks to make should not materially impact on the operational policing capability of the British Transport Police, including in relation to counter-terrorist activity.

British Transport Police: Finance

Paula Sherriff: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the planned expenditure is for the British Transport Police in (a) 2015-16, (b) 2016-17, (c) 2017-18, (d) 2018-19 and (e) 2019-20.

Claire Perry: The British Transport Police’s budget for 2015/16 is £298,078,000.Final budgets for future years have not been established.

British Transport Police: Finance

Paula Sherriff: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to paragraph 2.90 of the Spending Review and Autumn Statement 2015, what assessment he has made of the effect of phasing out the Transport for London (TfL) resource grant on TfL's funding of the British Transport Police.

Claire Perry: It is for Transport for London (TfL) to determine future policing arrangements as they contract policing from the British Transport Police on a commercial basis.

Department for Transport: Information Officers

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many press and public relations staff are employed by (a) the office of Rail and Road, (b) the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency, (c) the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency, (d) the Maritime and Coastguard Agency, (e) the Vehicle Certification Agency, (f) the British Transport Police Authority, (g) Directly Operated Railways limited, (h) High Speed 2 Ltd; (i) Highways England, (j) Northern Lighthouse Board, (k) Transport Focus, (l) Trinity House, (m) Civil Aviation Authority and (n) the Airports Commission; how many of those employees are paid more than (i) £50,000 and (ii) £100,000; and what the total expenditure was on press and public relations by each of those organisations in the most recent year for which figures are available.

Mr Robert Goodwill: Some of the information requested for the 14 organisations listed is not held by the Department and can only be provided at disproportionate cost.However, the number of press and public relations staff currently employed by the Department’s executive agencies is provided in the table below. None of the press and PR staff have a full-time equivalent salary exceeding £50,000.Press and public relations staff (full-time equivalent )1 December 2015Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency4Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency4Maritime and Coastguard Agency3.2Vehicle Certification AgencyNilTotal11.2The total of 11.2 full-time equivalent staff compares to an equivalent figure for these four executive agencies in 2009/10 (with DVSA previously being DSA and VOSA) of 15.5 full-time equivalent staff. Information on non-pay expenditure on press and public relations services held by the Department for the most recent financial year available is provided in the table below.Non-pay expenditure on press and  public relations services2014-15 £000sOffice of Rail and Road108Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency9Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency42Highways Agency383Maritime and Coastguard Agency169Vehicle Certification Agency0British Transport Police Authority48High Speed Two (HS2) Ltd167Transport Focus47Airport Commission54 Overall communications expenditure by the Department’s executive agencies in 2014-15 (including salaries) was £19 million lower than in 2009-10. Across Government the government communications profession reduced communications spending by a total of £1 billion during the last Parliament.

British Transport Police: Finance

Paula Sherriff: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what (a) directions or (b) guidance his Department issues to the British Transport Police or the British Transport Police Authority on cost savings in (i) 2015-16 and (ii) future financial years.

Claire Perry: The Department has not issued directions to either the British Transport Police (BTP) or the British Transport Police Authority (BTPA) on costs savings in 2015-16 and future years. It did, however, provide guidance that there should be no material impact on the operational policing capability of the British Transport Police, including in relation to counter-terrorist activity, from any appropriate efficiency savings it may seek to make over the Spending Review period.

London-Brighton Railway Line

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent progress has been made on the London and South Coast Rail Corridor Study covering the establishment of a Brighton Mainline 2; and if he will make a statement.

Claire Perry: The London and South Coast Rail Corridor Study is examining the strategic case for investment in the Brighton Main Line corridor, and alternate schemes such as the Brighton Main Line 2 concept. Initial findings of the Study were shared with the Department in late 2015 and the Study is expected to be completed early in 2016.

British Transport Police: Finance

Paula Sherriff: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what directions or guidance his Department has issued to (a) Network Rail, (b) train operating companies and (c) Transport for London regarding funding agreements with British Transport Police since the publication of the Spending Review and Autumn Statement 2015.

Claire Perry: Funding agreements are a matter between the British Transport Police Authority and the train operators, Network Rail and Transport for London.

British Transport Police: Finance

Paula Sherriff: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the British Transport Police budget was in each year from 2009-10 to 2014-15.

Claire Perry: The British Transport Police’s budget for each year from 2009-10 to 2014-15 is set out in the table below.2009/102010/112011/122012/132013/142014/15£000s£000s£000s£000s£000s£000s269,336277,014264,728267,947285,724292,791

British Transport Police: Finance

Paula Sherriff: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department has requested the British Transport Police Authority to set out options for a reduction in the British Transport Police budget.

Claire Perry: As part of the Spending Review process, the Department made clear to the British Transport Police Authority that any potential options for making efficiency savings in the British Transport Police’s budget, (aside from spending related to counter-terrorist activity, which was excluded from that process), needed to minimise any impact on the operational policing capability of the British Transport Police.

British Transport Police: Staff

Paula Sherriff: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many police officers from the British Transport Police were deployed in (a) London and (b) the rest of the UK in each year from 2009-10 to 2014-15.

Claire Perry: The table below sets out the number of officers deployed in each year since 2009-10.YearDeployed Officers in B Division (London)Deployed Officers in the rest of the UK2009-101,5181,3602010-111,5411,3792011-121,5341,3642012-131,5411,3052013-141,5071,3502014-151,5311,359As at January 2016, the total number of deployed officers both in London and across the rest of the UK is 3046, which is the largest number of officers since the creation of the British Transport Police Authority in 2004.

British Transport Police: Finance

Paula Sherriff: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what financial contribution Transport for London made to the British Transport Police in each of the last five financial years.

Claire Perry: The table below sets out the financial contribution that Transport for London has made to the British Transport Police in each of the last five financial years.2010/112011/122012/132013/142014/15£000s£000s£000s£000s£000s58,20060,36461,47362,89963,486

West Coast Railway Line: WiFi

Seema Kennedy: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will support the increase of infrastructure for onboard wifi along the West Coast rail line.

Claire Perry: We recognise intermittent internet access is a frustration felt by many rail passengers. I have met with Virgin Trains to discuss their ambitions to improve internet connectivity on both West Coast and East Coast main lines. I recognise that this is an important issue for West Coast passengers and that we need to find a solution where all passengers can benefit.Free Wi-Fi is being introduced on all Department for Transport-controlled rail franchises in England and Wales. All train operators bidding for new franchises and direct award agreements will have to present a phased implementation plan for free Wi-Fi. The West Coast franchise is being tendered this year with the new contract commencing in 2018, which will include this obligation.On-train Wi-Fi addresses some of the issues, however we recognise that there is more to do that will require enhancements to trackside infrastructure. That’s why we are working with the rail and telecommunications industries to reach a shared understanding of the technical and commercial challenges, and seek out potential solutions.

Railways: North of England

Lilian Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the Written Statement of 9 December 2015 HDVS 369 on rail franchising, when he expects to publish the new franchise agreements for the Northern and TransPennine Express franchise awards.

Andrew Jones: The draft franchise agreements are already published by the Department:TransPennine Express (TPE): https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/417830/franchise-agreement.pdfNorthern: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/417807/northern-franchise-agreement.pdfand the final agreements will be published after the agreed redactions have taken place.

Roads: Repairs and Maintenance

Lilian Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 17 December 2015 to Question 20054, what funding was allocated to the Winter Weather Repair Fund in 2014-15.

Andrew Jones: In 2014/15, the Government provided £950 million to local highway authorities for highways maintenance, including £168 million to specifically tackle potholes across the country.In March 2014, the Government provided an additional £183.5 million to help repair local highway infrastructure damaged by the winter floods of 2013/14. This funding was spent by local highway authorities in 2014/15.Overall, between 2010 to 2015, local highways maintenance funding was 27% or £1billion higher than under the previous Labour administration.

Railways: Tickets

Lilian Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 5 January 2016 to Question 20639, whether franchise agreements for future franchises within the South East Flexible Ticketing geographical area will include an obligation for operators to subscribe to that programme.

Claire Perry: We are keen that operators significantly increase the uptake of smart ticketing across all franchises and we have challenged the industry to move forward with the development of new ticketing technologies. We are working with the Rail Delivery Group to work out what would need to be specified in franchises, but it is too early to say what those specifications could look like.

Railways: Electrification

Lilian Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 5 January 2016 to Question 20640, how many miles of track will be electrified by the end of Control Period 5 under the timetable for project delivery contained in Sir Peter Hendy's review of the rail upgrade programme.

Claire Perry: Pursuant to the Answer of 5 January 2016 to Question 20640, we remain committed to our modernisation programme of over 850 miles of electrification.Sir Peter Hendy’s review of the rail upgrade programme details that the vast majority of programmes and projects will go ahead for delivery by 2019 (the end of Control Period 5).However, some schemes are more immature in their development and, whilst schemes in this category will have significant delivery within Control Period 5, these schemes will span more than one control period.Electrification provides long-term efficiencies for the railways, but it is just one element of a wider set of railway upgrades to provide better journeys for passengers and freight users.

Railways: North of England

Lilian Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what (a) premium and (b) subsidy payments the new Northern franchisee is expected to make or receive in each year of that franchise's duration.

Andrew Jones: The new Northern Franchisee is expected to receive subsidy payments during each year of its franchise term. I note however, that under this franchise agreement the amount of annual subsidy will be reduced by £160million by the end of this 9-year contract and at the same time, unlike the last Northern franchise in 2004 which included limited plans to invest in services or meet demand, this new franchise will deliver more than 2,000 extra services each week, nearly a 40% increase in capacity and the complete removal of the outdated and unpopular Pacers by the end of 2019.The subsidy payments are set out below in both nominal terms and in real (i.e. constant) terms in 2015/16 prices. Years 1 to 9 are the payments for the core Franchise Term. Year 10 is an optional extension period of up to one year, callable at the discretion of the Secretary of State.Year£MNominalReal – 2015/16 pricesYear 12016/17281275Year 22017/18276262Year 32018/19282260Year 42019/20247221Year 52020/21204177Year 62021/22158134Year 72022/23136113Year 82023/2411492Year 92024/259273Year 102025/265339

Stratford Station

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate his Department has made of the economic effect on (a) London and (b) the UK economy of international services stopping at Stratford International station.

Claire Perry: The Department for Transport has made no specific assessment of the economic effects of international services stopping at Stratford International station. The Department for Transport has no powers to specify that an international operator – whether current or future – must stop at Stratford International station. The Department for Transport has recently published an interim evaluation of the impact of the HS1 network setting out the current and anticipated benefits of the HS1 link[1].[1] https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/hs1-first-interim-evaluation

Railways: North of England

Jonathan Reynolds: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answers of 16 December 2015 to Questions 19325 and 19326, how many staff in his Department were employed on a contract basis to procure the (a) Northern and (b) TransPennine franchise agreements; and what the total cost to the public purse was of those staff.

Andrew Jones: The Department employed six individuals as contract staff at various times (sometimes covering the same role consecutively) for the Northern competition, and five for the TransPennine Competition. Costs of those staff were £1.203M and £1.275M respectively.These costs however need to be set against the context of the deals achieved, whereby for Northern the amount of annual subsidy will be reduced by £160million by the end of the 9-year contract and for TransPennine the Government will receive £400million in premiums over the life of the franchise, compared to the previous situation where the franchise was subsidised.

Southern

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, under which circumstances Southern Railway's franchise would be withdrawn.

Claire Perry: Schedule 10.2 of the TSGN Franchise Agreement (https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/488198/tsgn-franchise-agreement.pdf p.506) specifies how this franchise can be terminated by the Department.

Stratford Station: Passengers

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many passengers use Stratford station annually; and how this number is expected to change following completion of Crossrail.

Claire Perry: On 15th December 2015, the Office for Rail and Road published the latest in a series of Estimates of Station Usage for 2014/15, for all stations in Great Britain.They estimate that in 2014/15, 30,974,204 people travelled to or from Stratford and 3,053,317 people interchanged at Stratford.By 2026, Transport for London’s forecasts indicate that passenger movements at Stratford – including those resulting from Crossrail services stopping there - will see an increase of around 20% on the 2014 passenger numbers.

London Airports: Accidents

Ruth Cadbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what comparative assessment his Department has made of the potential damage to housing and infrastructure and loss of life that would result from an aircraft crashing on approach or arrival at Heathrow and Gatwick Airports.

Mr Robert Goodwill: For people living and working near airports, safety is best achieved by ensuring the safe operation of aircraft in flight.However, in areas of greater risk, we seek to control the number of people at risk through the Public Safety Zone (PSZ) system.Public Safety Zones are areas of land at the ends of the runways at the busiest airports, within which development is restricted in order to control the number of people on the ground at risk of death or injury in the event of an aircraft accident on take-off or landing. The implementation of Public Safety Zone policy at civil airports is based on modelling work carried out using appropriate aircraft accident data to determine the level of risk to people on the ground around airports.

Shipping: Flags

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what his Department's guidance is on shipping flags it considers unsafe or dangerous to sail under; and how often that guidance is updated.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The Department does not issue its own guidance. The selection of a shipping register (flag State) is a commercial decision for ship owners.However, owners can take account of the assessment of a flag State’s performance. The flag’s performance is published in the annual Paris Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) report on Port State Control. These reports can be found on the Paris MoU website athttps://www.parismou.org/publications-category/annual-reports.

Railways: Tickets

Jonathan Reynolds: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when he expects the South East flexible ticketing programme to commence.

Claire Perry: The South East Flexible Ticketing programme is already under way. c2c and Govia Thameslink Railway already offer annual season tickets on smartcards. Abellio Greater Anglia, South West Trains and Southeastern will launch their products this year. Together, these five train operators cover 73% of the annual season ticket market.

Network Rail: Secondment

Jonathan Reynolds: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many Network Rail staff are seconded to which train operating companies; and what the value is of those staff contracts.

Claire Perry: Network Rail does not hold this information centrally. To retrieve the information from Network Rail would involve disproportionate cost.

Manchester Airport: Railways

Ian C. Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 5 January 2016 to Question 20298, if he will publish the letter the Department wrote to the Office of Rail and Road in connection with the application from Arriva Trains Wales for additional train paths to and from Manchester Airport.

Claire Perry: A copy of the letter is attached. Please note that names and details of officials below the level of Senior Civil Servant, and those of non-government officials, have been redacted.



Letter from DfT to ORR
(PDF Document, 41.4 KB)

Electric Vehicles: Grants

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many claims for grants have been made under the electric vehicle homecharge scheme in each year since its introduction.

Andrew Jones: The Electric Vehicle Homecharge Scheme was introduced in August 2014. In the period from September to December of that year there were 3,744 claims for grants. In the period January to November 2015 there were 12,435 claims for grants. The Office for Low Emission Vehicles is currently processing claims for grants made in December 2015.

Roads: Floods

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, where repairs to (a) the Strategic Road Network and (b) other key local roads are required in each region following recent flooding; and what estimate he has made of those repairs.

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the timetable is for (a) reconstructing Tadcaster bridge and (b) other areas of road infrastructure damaged by recent flooding identified as national priorities.

Andrew Jones: The flood recovery envoy for Yorkshire, the Minister of State for Transport (Mr Goodwill), convened a meeting on January 7 2016 with North Yorkshire County Council, wider local representatives, the military and Highways England experts to finalise a plan for reconstructing Tadcaster Bridge. The Government is providing £3.3m of funding immediately to repair the bridge. It has incurred substantial damage and the current estimate is that it will take up to a year to repair.The Department for Transport is working closely with affected local highway authorities following the recent storms encountered in some areas of the country. As part of this work, local highway authorities are assessing the damage caused and likely estimated costs. It is too early to provide an estimate of the repairs or likely timescales until all waters have receded.

Stratford Station

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many passengers have used Stratford International station in each year since 2012.

Claire Perry: Passenger usage at Stratford International station in 2012 was 0.96m. In 2013, usage was 0.87m. In 2014, usage was 1.02m. In 2015, usage was 1.36m. The Office of Rail and Road publishes annual figures on station usage, which are available on their website[1].[1]http://orr.gov.uk/statistics/published-stats/station-usage-estimates

Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions his Department has had with (a) HM Treasury and (b) other government departments on the extension of renewable transport fuels obligation beyond road transport.

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what representations the Government has received from the aviation and aerospace industries on supporting investment in development of cleaner jet fuels.

Andrew Jones: Ministers and officials regularly discuss policy options with Her Majesty’s Treasury and colleagues in other government departments.I refer the honourable Member to my answer to the honourable Member for Alyn and Deeside (Mark Tami), on 2 November 2015 on the subject of sustainable aviation fuels and representations received as part of the work of the Transport Energy Task Force http://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-question/Commons/2015-10-23/13225/. I have also met with representatives from industry to discuss the potential of sustainable low carbon fuels in aviation.

London Bridge Station

Clive Efford: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will request that Southeastern Trains and Network Rail explain the reasons for disruption to services at London Bridge on 4, 5 and 6 January 2016; and if he will publish the responses of those organisations to that request.

Claire Perry: Network Rail has informed me that problems with signalling equipment caused delays to some Southeastern services via London Bridge on 4, 5 and 6 of January. On the morning of 4th January, a track circuit failed near Cannon Street. On the evening of 5th January a track circuit failed on the line to Charing Cross and Network Rail was not able to rectify the fault until the morning of the 6th.Network Rail and Southeastern worked together to ensure the issues were rectified as quickly as possible and passenger disruption was minimised.I remain committed to ensuring disruption is kept to a minimum while we continue the vital Thameslink Programme works to improve capacity and reliability through one of the busiest rail routes in Europe.

Home Office

Offences against Children

Karin Smyth: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what additional steps her Department is taking to ensure that all victims of historic child abuse are encouraged to come forward with evidence which may result in the prosecution of offenders.

Karen Bradley: Tackling child sexual abuse is a top priority for this government. We have prioritised child sexual abuse as a national threat in the Strategic Policing Requirement, setting a clear expectation on police forces to safeguard children.We have provided £1.7 million to fund Operation Hydrant, which co-ordinates the handling of multiple non-recent child sexual abuse investigations specifically concerning institutions or persons of public prominence, and up to £1.5 million to support a new network of regional co-ordinators and analysts to improve the police response to child sexual exploitation.In addition, the Home Secretary has established an independent statutory inquiry into child sexual abuse. The Inquiry has the power to compel witnesses and call for evidence and any specific allegation will, where necessary, be referred by the Inquiry to the police for consideration for criminal investigation.No case of child abuse is ‘historic’ for victims and survivors. They must live with the consequences of their abuse each and every day of their lives.

Passports

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many passports were processed by each Passport Office in the UK between 2010 and 2015.

James Brokenshire: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Immigration Controls

Mr Peter Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what progress she has made on reducing net migration to the tens of thousands.

James Brokenshire: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Refugees: Children

Calum Kerr: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what her policy is on the Save the Children proposal to relocate 3,000 unaccompanied refugee children who have arrived in Europe to the UK.

James Brokenshire: As the Prime Minister said to Parliament in December, we are looking again at the issue of bringing Syrian children to the UK. In any consideration we must ensure that our proposals are in the best interests of those children affected and do not inadvertently put children at additional risk.Our Syrian resettlement programme has already resettled vulnerable children as part of family groups, with over 1000 refugees resettled by Christmas.

Domestic Violence: Wales

Ian C. Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 5 January 2016 to Question 20252, how she intends to monitor incidence of convictions for offences of domestic violence.

Karen Bradley: The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) publishes an annual violence against women and girls report, which includes national level data on the number of convictions for domestic abuse. The latest data, published in June 2015, showed that the volume of convictions in 2014-15 reached 68,601 – a rise of 10,325 convictions since 2013-14 and the highest volume ever.

Human Trafficking

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many cases were referred to the National Referral Mechanism as potential victims of trafficking for domestic servitude in each year since 2009; and how many such cases had a (a) positive reasonable grounds decision and (b) positive conclusive grounds decision.

Karen Bradley: Statistics relating to the National Referral Mechanism are published quarterly by the National Crime Agency in their “Human Trafficking: National Referral Mechanism Statistics” report, which includes information on exploitation type and decision outcomes. These can be found here:http://www.nationalcrimeagency.gov.uk/publications/national-referral-mechanism-statisticsData prior to April 2012 is held for internal use but has not been validated for publication.

Handguns

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what discussions she has had with the British Association for Shooting and Conservation and the Countryside Alliance on the banning of hand-guns and pistols.

Mike Penning: Home Office Ministers and officials have meetings with a wide variety of international partners, as well as organisations and individuals in the public and private sectors, as part of the process of policy development and delivery. Details of these meetings are published on the Cabinet Office website on a quarterly basis at: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/cabinet-office.

Asylum: Scotland

Stuart C. McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many refused asylum seekers with dependants have been supported in Scotland under section 95 of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 for (a) up to two years, (b) more than two years and (c) more than four years.

James Brokenshire: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Asylum: Finance

Stuart C. McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many refused asylum seekers with dependants have been supported under section 95 of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 for (a) up to two years, (b) more than two years and (c) more than four years.

James Brokenshire: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Asylum: Scotland

Stuart C. McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many refused asylum seekers have been supported in Scotland under section 4 of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 for (a) up to two years, (b) more than two years and (c) more than four years.

James Brokenshire: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Asylum: Finance

Stuart C. McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many refused asylum seekers were granted, continued on, or reinstated back onto, support under section 4 of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 after lodging an appeal with the First-tier Tribunal (Asylum Support) in (a) 2012-13, (b) 2013-14 and (c) 2014-15.

James Brokenshire: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Asylum: Finance

Stuart C. McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many refused asylum seekers have been supported under section 4 of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 for (a) up to two years, (b) more than two years and (c) more than four years.

James Brokenshire: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Immigration Controls: France

Mr Philip Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 19 November 2015 to Question 15757, what proportion of clandestine illegal entry attempts in 2014-15 were intercepted by the (a) French authorities and (b) UK authorities.

James Brokenshire: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Large Goods Vehicles: Calais

Mr Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when she expects the new secure zone for British-bound lorries at Calais to be operational; and what steps are being taken to protect UK-bound lorries from attack before that time.

James Brokenshire: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Refugees: France

Mr Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make it the policy of the Government to refer to the European Court of Justice the failure of the French government to register non-EU citizens in France who are in need of international protection.

James Brokenshire: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Refugees: France

Mr Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what representations she has made to her French counterparts on the proposed construction of a new camp for migrants close to Dieppe.

James Brokenshire: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Refugees: Calais

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what funds the Government has provided for (a) humanitarian efforts and (b) security at the refugee camp in Calais in the last 12 months.

James Brokenshire: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Refugees: Children

Johnny Mercer: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the implications for her policies  of the proposal in December 2015 from Save the Children to relocate 3,000 unaccompanied refugee children in Europe.

James Brokenshire: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Domestic Violence

Ian C. Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 5 January 2016 to Question 20252, how her Department assesses the effect of Government policy on domestic violence.

Ian C. Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 5 January 2016 to Question 20252, if she will collect information centrally on convictions for domestic violence.

Karen Bradley: The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) publishes an annual violence against women and girls report, which includes national level data on the number of convictions for domestic abuse and supports the assessment of the effectiveness of Government policy on domestic violence.The latest data, published in June 2015, showed that the volume of convictions in 2014-15 reached 68,601 – a rise of 10,325 convictions since 2013-14 and the highest volume ever.The Office for National Statistics also publishes data on the prevalence of domestic abuse in the Crime Survey for England and Wales. Latest data from the Crime Survey for England and Wales shows that 6.1% of adults aged 16-59 were a victim of ‘Any Domestic Abuse’ in 2014-15 – the lowest estimate since these questions were first asked in the 2004-05 survey.

Home Office: Staff

Liz Kendall: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people of each gender work in her Department.

Karen Bradley: Holding answer received on 11 January 2016



As at 30th November 2015 there were 14,835 members of staff that identified themselves as female and 13,718 that identified themselves as male in the Home Department.(Figures are based on all paid civil servants in line with Office for National Statistics standards as published in the Annual Civil Service Employment Survey on ons.gov.uk in Autumn 2015)

Home Office: Stoke on Trent

Tristram Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many jobs in (a) her Department and (b) each of its non-departmental public bodies, executive agencies, non-ministerial departments, advisory bodies and other accountable statutory bodies (i) have been abolished or relocated from Stoke-on-Trent since 2010 and (ii) will be abolished in or relocated from Stoke-on-Trent by 2020.

Karen Bradley: The Department records actual staffing levels, but does not centrally record the number of jobs by location. Actual staffing levels for (a) the Department, between March 2010 and March 2015, have slightly reduced (less than 10 FTE¹) in Stoke-on-Trent. However, this does not necessarily mean that posts have been abolished or relocated as a consequence.The Department is still planning its workforce requirements for 2020 in line with the Spending Review settlement; this level of detail is not yet known.(b) For the Department’s executive non-departmental public bodies and statutory bodies, there have been no staff or offices based in Stoke-on-Trent during this period. The Department’s executive non-departmental Public Bodies are:• the Independent Police Complaints Commission;• the Gangmasters Licensing Authority;• the Office of the Immigration Services Commissioner;• the Security Industry Authority; and• the Disclosure and Barring ServiceNone of the Department’s Advisory and Tribunal NDPBs employ staff or have offices in Stoke-on-Trent.¹Data Source: Data View, the Home Office's single source of Office for National Statistics compliant monthly snapshot corporate human resources data Period Covered: Figures are as at 31 March each year.Extraction Date: 1st April each yearOrganisational Coverage: March-10 - Figures include core Home Office and the Executive Agencies; United Kingdom Border Agency, Identity and Passport Service and the Criminal Records Bureau March -15 - Figures include core Home Office (including Border Force, UK Visas & Immigration, Immigration En-forcement and Her Majesty's Passport Office.) Employee Coverage: Data is based on headcount and FTE of all current paid and unpaid civil servants as at 31st March each year

Refugees: Syria

Michelle Donelan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps the Government has taken to resettle Syrian refugees.

Richard Harrington: On 16 December the Prime Minister informed the House we had met our commitment of resettling 1,000 Syrians before Christmas. These refugees form part of the 20,000 that we will resettle during this Parliament, showing that Britain will continue to act in the finest traditions of providing shelter to the most vulnerable.

Police

Karl Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent assessment she has made of trends in the level of demand for police services.

Mike Penning: It is the role of Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary to assess police forces in England and Wales on their efficiency, including how they are managing demand for services and whether they have appropriate systems in place to assess trends. Their most recent assessment (report published October 2015) found that forces have a good understanding of current demand but need to improve their understanding of future demand. Forces are working with the College of Policing to progress this work.

Human Trafficking: Mediterranean Sea

Byron Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what support the Government is providing to tackle people-smuggling in the Mediterranean.

Mrs Theresa May: We have established an Organised Immigration Crime Taskforce of 100 officers from the NCA, Crown Prosecution Service, and the Home Office to disrupt organised immigration crime groups upstream, including through the Mediterranean routes, and in the UK. The UK is also supporting the EU Naval Forces Operation in the Mediterranean. We are determined to disrupt organised immigration criminal activities which impact adversely on our security and have such a wanton disregard for human life.

Immigration Controls

David Rutley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps the Government is taking to prevent abuse of the immigration system.

James Brokenshire: The Immigration Act 2014 and related changes have expedited the removal of over 2,000 foreign national offenders from this country and stopped illegal migrants having access to services such as bank accounts, driving licences and rented accommodation.The Immigration Bill will go further, enabling the seizure of earnings from illegal workers, further penalising rogue employers, and extending the deport first, appeal later principle to more cases.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Haiti: Elections

Dawn Butler: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of allegations of electoral fraud in the recent legislative and presidential elections in Haiti.

Mr Hugo Swire: Our (non-resident) Ambassador to Haiti and (resident) Chargé d'affaires regularly meet the European Observer Mission (EOM) to the recent Haitian elections, as well as observer teams from the Organization of American States (OAS) and ParlAmerica. While irregularities did take place, and are being investigated, none of the official observer groups has substantiated specific claims of fraud, or called the results of the election into question. The UK shares this assessment.

Turkey: PKK

Ann Clwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations his Department has made to the government of Turkey about (a) statements equating the PKK with ISIS and (b) negotiations between the government of Turkey and the PKK.

Mr David Lidington: The Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) is a proscribed terrorist organisation in Turkey, the UK and the EU. It has killed over 150 members of Turkey’s security forces since July 2015. We have been clear in our public and private communications with the Government of Turkey that PKK violence must end and the peace process should resume. We stand ready to help in any way we can.

Haiti: Elections

Anne McLaughlin: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps the UK Mission to the UN is taking to address the recent findings by Haiti's National Electoral Office of contestations of irregularities to acts of fraud aimed at changing the results of the presidential elections in October 2015.

Mr Hugo Swire: Officials at the UK Mission to the UN regularly discuss Haiti with international partners and the Secretary General’s Special Representative on Haiti. In addition, our (non-resident) Ambassador to Haiti and our (resident) Chargé d'affaires have met the European Observer Mission (EOM) to the Haitian presidential elections, as well as observer teams from the OAS and ParlAmerica, on several occasions to discuss their findings. While some irregularities did take place and are being investigated, none of the official observer groups has substantiated specific claims of fraud, or called the results of the election into question. The EOM's analysis has been shared with the Haitian Prime Minister, Evans Paul and relevant Ministries in Haiti. It was also shared with the Commission d’Evaluation Electorale (Electoral Review Commission, ERC). While the Commission’s report also pointed to some irregularities they concluded that the Presidential runoff should take place.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office: Travel

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how much his Department spent on (a) travel, (b) first or business class flights for officials, (c) first or business class flights for Ministers, (c) first class train travel for officials and (d) first class train travel for Ministers in 2014-15.

Mr David Lidington: The FCO ensures value for money in all its expenditure to help reduce the overall costs of Government. Staff are expected to find alternatives to overseas travel where possible, including by making use of video conferencing facilities.Where travel is necessary, FCO policy is that staff should ensure maximum efficiency, remembering that it is public money being spent. Unless there are exceptional circumstances, FCO officials may fly business class only if the flying time is ten hours or longer.All FCO staff are directed to use standard class for rail travel unless there are exceptional circumstances e.g. illness, disability or where first class facilities are essential for working while travelling. In these exceptional circumstances, prior line management approval must be given.In 2014-15 the FCO’s spend on air and train travel originating in the UK and booked through the Government’s nominated travel agency in the UK totalled £10,879,831 and £365,145 respectively.For comparison, in 2009-10 the equivalent figures were £14,503,576 and £328,184 respectively. This represents a 25% reduction in expenditure on air travel and a 11.3% increase on train travel since 2009-10.In 2014-15 the figures break down to £6,838 on first class flights (exceptions were made to ensure attendance at the funeral for a Head of State and for officials to attend crucial talks on Libya), £4,501,110 on business class flights, £6,371,883 on economy and premium economy flights, £3,057 on first class rail travel and £362,088 on standard rail travel.For comparison, in 2009-10 the figures break down to £11,852 on first class flights, £11,307,923 on business class flights, £3,183,801 on economy and premium economy flights, £195,447 on first class rail travel and £132,737 on standard rail travel.It is not possible to provide a detailed breakdown of expenditure on either air or rail travel by Ministers and by officials: disaggregating the class of travel from all the individual journeys taken by ministers and officials could only be carried out at disproportionate cost.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office: Information Officers

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many press and public relations staff are employed by (a) UK Trade and Investment, (b) FCO Services, (c) Wilton Park, (d) the British Council, (e) the Great Britain-China Centre, (f) the Marshall Aid Commemoration Commission and (g) the Westminster Foundation for Democracy, (h) Government Communications Headquarters and (i) the Secret Intelligence Service; how many of those employees earn more than (i) £50,000 and (ii) £100,000; and what the total expenditure was on press and public relations by each of those organisations in the most recent year for which figures are available.

Mr David Lidington: The number of press and public relations staff employed in each organisation is as follows:FCO Services: 0.5 full-time equivalent Wilton Park: 0 The British Council: 7 The Great Britain-China Centre: 0 The Marshall Aid Commemoration Commission: 0 The Westminster Foundation for Democracy: 0i) The number of press and public relations employees who earn more than £50,000 in each organisation is as follows:FCO Services: 0 Wilton Park: 0 The British Council: 1 The Great Britain-China Centre: 0 The Marshall Aid Commemoration Commission: 0 The Westminster Foundation for Democracy: 0ii) No press and public relations employee earns more than £100,000 in any of the organisationslisted above.iii) The total expenditure on press and public relations by each organisation in 2014/15, excluding staff costs, is as follows:FCO Services: £21,312Wilton Park: Nil The British Council: £126,041 The Great Britain-China Centre: Nil The Marshall Aid Commemoration Commission: NilThe Westminster Foundation for Democracy: NilIt is long standing government policy not to publish Government Communication Headquarters (GCHQ) and Secret Intelligence Service (SIS) expenditure or staff figures to the requested level of detail. However, other data on the intelligence agencies' expenditure and staff numbers are normally published in the annual reports of the Intelligence and Security Committee of Parliament.Across Government the government communications profession saved £330 million for taxpayers last year compared to 2009 to 2010 - by making its campaigns more cost effective. This means the government reduced communications spending by a total of £1 billion during the last Parliament.

Barbados: Sovereignty

Michael Fabricant: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether his Department plans to participate in the 50th anniversary celebration of the independence of Barbados; and if he will make a statement.

James Duddridge: The Government of Barbados is continuing to develop its plans to celebrate the country’s 50th Anniversary of Independence. The Government has been working closely with the Government of Barbados to ensure that our close and long-standing relationship is reflected fully in those celebrations both in Barbados and in the UK.Barbados achieved independence from Britain on November 30th 1966. The anniversary is celebrated as Independence Day and is a national holiday in Barbados. Independence celebrations run throughout the month of November and include sports competitions, fairs, community events and religious services. For the 50th anniversary, Barbados has also announced a year of celebration with a number of events taking place over the next 12 months, beginning on 6 January 2016 with a parade through Bridgetown. Details of the full programme of events are still being finalised, and the Foreign Office remains in close contact with the High Commission in London and the Government in Bridgetown as plans progress.

Government Departments: Foreign Relations

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, which government departments have entered into a Memorandum of Understanding with another nation since 2010; and what the date was of each such agreement.

James Duddridge: Unlike treaties, HMG does not maintain a central record of Memorandums of Understanding with third states. It is the responsibility of the lead policy department to file and record them.

Colombia: Human Rights

Clive Efford: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will request representatives of the British Embassy to attend the public hearing in the case of the imprisoned academic Miguel Angel Beltran scheduled for January 2016 in the city of Bogota.

Mr Hugo Swire: The British Embassy was notified by the Colombian authorities in August 2015 of the detention of Professor Miguel Angel Beltran, who is held at La Picota prison in Bogotá.The United Kingdom cannot interfere in the judicial process of another country. We take every opportunity to encourage the Colombian authorities to allow access for all to legal representation, a fair trial without prejudice and minimise delays.

Colombia: Military Bases

Clive Efford: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will make representations to the Colombian authorities about reducing the practice of locating military bases in rural villages.

Mr Hugo Swire: The government of Colombia and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) reached a number of agreements in September 2015, which I welcomed at the time. These agreements included one on rural development.I also welcomed the commitment made by both sides to sign a final peace deal by the end of March 2016. We continue to offer advice to the government of Colombia on implementation of the Peace Process and the potential role of the military in the post conflict phase.

Colombia: Homicide

Clive Efford: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will make representations to the Colombian authorities regarding the status of the investigation into the murder of Benicio Flor Belardo Cazar on 11 October 2015 in La Meseta, Suarez.

Mr Hugo Swire: I was sorry to hear of the death of Benicio Flor Belalcázar. Whilst the United Kingdom cannot interfere in another country’s judicial process, we continue to encourage the government of Colombia in its efforts to prevent violence and threats against human rights defenders, trades unionists, political activists and civil society and to promptly investigate human rights violations.As I have said to the House on a number of occasions, I am convinced that current efforts to secure peace represent the best prospect for the rights of all Colombians. This Government remains hugely supportive of this process.

Saudi Arabia: Capital Punishment

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assurances he has received from the government of Saudi Arabia that no British-made equipment was used in recent executions in that country.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: The UK operates one of the most rigorous and transparent arms export control regimes in the world. Each application for an export licence is subject to a rigorous case-by-case assessment against these high criteria. The British Government is satisfied that the current licences for Saudi Arabia are compliant with the UK’s export licensing criteria and that we are not in breach of our international obligations. No licence is issued if it does not meet these requirements. This includes the export of arms to Saudi Arabia.

Saudi Arabia: Capital Punishment

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations his Department has made to its Saudi Arabian counterpart on the case of Ali Al-Nimr, Dawood Al-Marhoon and Abdallah Al-Zaher.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: We are very concerned about the cases of Ali Al-Nimr, Dawood Al-Marhoon and Abdallah Al-Zaher and we have raised these cases with the Saudi Arabian authorities, on many occasions - most recently on 3 January, at a very senior level. We continue to make representations on these cases and others like it, whenever the opportunity to do so arises.

Afghanistan: Politics and Government

Stephen Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the security and political situation in Helmand province, Afghanistan; and what support the Government (a) has provided and (b) plans to provide to stabilise the situation.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: The Afghan Security Forces have been tested by a determined insurgency in Helmand Province this year, resulting in a temporary loss of ground in some areas. The Afghan Security Forces have been reinforced, and are responding well.A small contingent of UK military training advisers, drawn from our existing contribution to the NATO Resolute Support Mission, have deployed to Helmand in a non-combat role as part of a larger NATO team. The UK, with our international partners, will remain steadfast in our support for the Afghan Government and people, including in their efforts to bring enduring peace and security to Afghanistan.

Africa: Missionaries

Stephen Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many staff were employed at each civil service grade at UK missions to each African country on 1 January 2016.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: We are not able to provide a breakdown of Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) UK based staff numbers by grade at individual UK missions for operational security reasons. Please find attached numbers of FCO UK based staff by Post and Country and separately by civil service grade on 1st January 2016.



Attachment to PQ 20990
(Word Document, 15.81 KB)

Falkland Islands

Stephen Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations the Government has made to the new Argentinian government to emphasise the sovereignty of the Falkland Islands and the right of self-determination.

Mr Hugo Swire: The Government has engaged with both President Macri and Foreign Minister Malcorra. Whilst we are eager to improve relations with the Argentinian government we continue to make it clear that this does not, and will not, change our position on the Falkland Islanders' right to self-determination.

India: Terrorism

Stephen Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with the Indian government on the recent attack on an Indian military facility at Pathawkof.

Mr Hugo Swire: Officials have been in regular contact with their Indian counterparts in London and in Delhi, including the National Security Adviser who spoke to the Indian National Security Adviser on 6th January. We have issued a statement offering condolences to the victims and their families and re-emphasising our commitment to work with India to counter terrorism.

Paramjeet Singh

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to his Indian and Portuguese counterparts on the detention and potential deportation of Paramjeet Singh; and if he will make a statement.

Mr David Lidington: The Government has ensured that the Portuguese authorities are aware of Mr Singh’s asylum status.

UK Membership of EU

Mr Philip Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps he is taking to restore the full value of the UK's rebate from the EU as part of the process of renegotiating the UK's membership.

Mr David Lidington: The Prime Minister, my right hon. Friend the Member for Witney (Mr Cameron), has been clear about the four objectives at the heart of our renegotiations: economic governance, competitiveness, sovereignty and migration/welfare. These were explained in the Prime Minister’s letter of 10 November to President Tusk and, as the Prime Minister explained in his statement on 5 January, were discussed in detail during the December European Council meeting.The financing system for the EU budget, which determines the UK’s contributions to the EU from 2014 to 2020, including the rebate, was agreed in 2013 when the Government secured an historic real-terms cut to expenditure and protected the rebate. Parliament ratified that deal last year.

Paramjeet Singh

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent developments there have been in the detention and potential deportation of Paramjeet Singh to India; and if he will make a statement.

Mr David Lidington: Mr Paramjeet Singh, an Indian national with refugee status resident in the UK, was arrested in Portugal on 18 December 2015 under an International Arrest Warrant issued by India on charges of Murder and Terrorism. India has until 26 January to present Portugal with a formal extradition request. The Portuguese authorities have jurisdiction and will decide whether to extradite.

Attorney General

Attorney General: Staff

Liz Kendall: To ask the Attorney General, how many people of each gender work in the Law Officers' Departments.

Robert Buckland: The total number of staff employed by the Law Officers’ Departments by gender is detailed in the following table: Department Headcount (as at 31st December 2015) Female MaleAttorney General’s Office2315Government Legal Department1227788HM Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate1716Crown Prosecution Service38532069Serious Fraud Office183227

Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

Construction

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what steps he is taking to support the creation of painting and decorating opportunities in the construction sector.

Nick Boles: An error has been identified in the written answer given on 06 January 2016.The correct answer should have been:

Late payment remains an important issue for small businesses in the UK. The Government is taking significant steps to assist small businesses to recover late payment debts.Through the Enterprise Bill, currently before Parliament, we will legislate to establish a Small Business Commissioner to help small business resolve disputes with large companies, tackling, in particular, late payment. The Commissioner will act as a disincentive to unfavourable payment practices, and build the confidence and capabilities of small businesses to help them to assert themselves in contractual disputes and negotiate more effectively with larger businesses.This is part of a package of measures to tackle late payment. We have also legislated for new transparency measures in the public and private sectors. This will allow full public scrutiny of payment performance.We have also strengthened the Prompt Payment Code to ensure it is a recognised and demonstrated beacon of best practice, and we recently consulted on proposals to give representative bodies wider powers to challenge grossly unfair payment practices.Government promotes fair payment practices in construction through legislation (the "Construction Act"), the use of public procurement (promoting prompt payment to Tier 3 and the use of Project Bank Accounts), and by working with the industry through voluntary measures (such as the Prompt Payment Code and the Construction Leadership Council's Payment Charter).The Payment Charter includes a commitment of zero retentions by 2025. To support this work, the Government recently announced a review of the practice of cash retentions under construction contracts.Tackling late payment is about creating a responsible payment culture where larger companies recognise the benefit of having a sustainable and robust supply chain, and smaller businesses feel able to challenge poor behaviour. Once implemented, the Government is confident that these measures will lead to significant changes in the UK's payment culture.Opportunities in painting and decorating will be created through the steps Government is taking to increase demand in the construction industry, including its support for housebuilding in England.Last week the Chancellor announced that the public housing budget for England is to double to over £2 billion per year, and the Housing Bill sets out plans to build 1 million homes in England by 2020.To deliver Government ambitions for construction it is vital to attract new people to the industry. The government is committed to significantly increasing the quantity and quality of all apprenticeships in England to 3 million starts by 2020; the construction industry will have a significant part to play in achieving this target.However, skills policy (including apprenticeships policy) is a devolved matter and, in Northern Ireland (NI), is the responsibility of the Department of Employment and Learning.The Minister of Employment and Learning, Dr Stephen Farry, published Securing our Success, a new NI Strategy on Apprenticeships in June 2014. This Strategy aims to reform the system of apprenticeships in NI, introducing them in a much broader range of occupational areas and establishing them as an attractive route to gaining higher level qualifications including at degree level and above.The Construction Skills Network Report for NI suggests that there will be an annual recruitment requirement of 100 painters and decorators over the next five years, within a total requirement of 1,490 construction trades each year.The Construction Industry Training Board NI has a role to encourage the adequate training of those employed or intending to be employed in the construction industry and to improve the skills and productivity of the sector. NI’s six Further Education Colleges provide professional and technical training for the painting and decorating trades.

Nick Boles: Late payment remains an important issue for small businesses in the UK. The Government is taking significant steps to assist small businesses to recover late payment debts.Through the Enterprise Bill, currently before Parliament, we will legislate to establish a Small Business Commissioner to help small business resolve disputes with large companies, tackling, in particular, late payment. The Commissioner will act as a disincentive to unfavourable payment practices, and build the confidence and capabilities of small businesses to help them to assert themselves in contractual disputes and negotiate more effectively with larger businesses.This is part of a package of measures to tackle late payment. We have also legislated for new transparency measures in the public and private sectors. This will allow full public scrutiny of payment performance.We have also strengthened the Prompt Payment Code to ensure it is a recognised and demonstrated beacon of best practice, and we recently consulted on proposals to give representative bodies wider powers to challenge grossly unfair payment practices.Government promotes fair payment practices in construction through legislation (the "Construction Act"), the use of public procurement (promoting prompt payment to Tier 3 and the use of Project Bank Accounts), and by working with the industry through voluntary measures (such as the Prompt Payment Code and the Construction Leadership Council's Payment Charter).The Payment Charter includes a commitment of zero retentions by 2025. To support this work, the Government recently announced a review of the practice of cash retentions under construction contracts.Tackling late payment is about creating a responsible payment culture where larger companies recognise the benefit of having a sustainable and robust supply chain, and smaller businesses feel able to challenge poor behaviour. Once implemented, the Government is confident that these measures will lead to significant changes in the UK's payment culture.Opportunities in painting and decorating will be created through the steps Government is taking to increase demand in the construction industry, including its support for housebuilding in England.Last week the Chancellor announced that the public housing budget for England is to double to over £2 billion per year, and the Housing Bill sets out plans to build 1 million homes in England by 2020.To deliver Government ambitions for construction it is vital to attract new people to the industry. The government is committed to significantly increasing the quantity and quality of all apprenticeships in England to 3 million starts by 2020; the construction industry will have a significant part to play in achieving this target.However, skills policy (including apprenticeships policy) is a devolved matter and, in Northern Ireland (NI), is the responsibility of the Department of Employment and Learning.The Minister of Employment and Learning, Dr Stephen Farry, published Securing our Success, a new NI Strategy on Apprenticeships in June 2014. This Strategy aims to reform the system of apprenticeships in NI, introducing them in a much broader range of occupational areas and establishing them as an attractive route to gaining higher level qualifications including at degree level and above.The Construction Skills Network Report for NI suggests that there will be an annual recruitment requirement of 100 painters and decorators over the next five years, within a total requirement of 1,490 construction trades each year.The Construction Industry Training Board NI has a role to encourage the adequate training of those employed or intending to be employed in the construction industry and to improve the skills and productivity of the sector. NI’s six Further Education Colleges provide professional and technical training for the painting and decorating trades.

Post Offices: Bank Services

Mr Mark Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what progress has been made in negotiations with Lloyd's Bank plc about business banking services being offered through the Post Office.

Mr Mark Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what progress has been made in negotiations with Barclays Bank plc about business banking services being offered through the Post Office.

George Freeman: The Post Office is negotiating with the major banks, including Lloyds and Barclays, with a view to extending and standardising the services available to the banks’ small business customers. These are commercial negotiations which are still ongoing. The Government is clear that completion of these negotiations should be a priority.The Government is keen to see continued and wider availability of banking services through Post Office branches. In this context, we welcome the recent agreement between HSBC and the Post Office to provide HSBC’s business customers with services through Post Office branches.

Student Loans Company

James Cartlidge: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what representations he has received on the ease with which the Student Loans Company can be contacted.

Joseph Johnson: My Rt hon Friend the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) regularly receives representations about the Student Loans Company covering a wide range of issues.BIS closely monitors the Student Loans Company’s performance against targets for handling calls and correspondence from customers.Information on contacting the Student Loans Company is available via the following web page: https://www.gov.uk/contact-student-finance-england

Business: Advisory Services

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of the Business Growth Service.

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the Manufacturing Advisory Service.

Anna Soubry: An interim impact evaluation of the Growth Accelerator programme was published in November 2014. This was followed by a formative evaluation in January 2015, which looked at the delivery of the programme and informed the design of the Business Growth Service. A policy response to the formative evaluation was published in March 2015, in line with a commitment to the National Audit Office A review of the Manufacturing Advisory Service was completed in December 2010 and published the following year. An Impact Analysis Methodology study of the Manufacturing Advisory Service is being published in early 2016.A full economic evaluation of the Business Growth Service will continue beyond the closure of the service in March. All documents will continue to be available on www.gov.uk.

Manufacturing Advisory Service

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what discussions his Department had with manufacturers prior to its decision to close the Manufacturing Advisory Service.

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what steps he plans to take to support manufacturers who previously used the Manufacturing Advisory Service once that service is ended.

Anna Soubry: The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills did not consult specifically on the decision to close the Manufacturing Advisory Service as this was a commercially sensitive decision. However, through our ongoing discussions with manufacturers and their representatives, there has been wide recognition that the best way for Government to support manufacturers is by getting the fundamentals of the economy right. We are creating a highly competitive business environment to make the UK an attractive location for manufacturing investment, supporting export success, boosting skills and protecting spending on innovation and the cutting edge smart digital manufacturing technologies which will drive the strong UK productivity growth in the future.

Department for Business, Innovation and Skills: Information Officers

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many press and public relations staff are employed by (a) his Department, (b) the Competition and Markets Authority, (c) Land Registry, (d) the Ordnance Survey, (e) UK Trade and Investment, (f) Companies House, (g) the Met Office, (h) the UK Space Agency, (i) the Insolvency Service, (j) the National Measurement and Regulation Office, (k) the Intellectual Property Office, (l) the Skills Funding Agency, (m) the Arts and Humanities Research Council, (n) the Biotechnology and Biological Research Council, (o) the British Hallmarking Council, (p) the Competition Service, (q) the Economic and Social Research Council, (r) Innovate UK, (s) the Medical Research Council, (t) the Office for Fair Access, (u) the Student Loans Company, (v) the UK Atomic Energy Authority, (w) the UK Commission for Employment and Skills and (x) the Low Pay Commission; how many of these employees earn more than (i) £50,000 and (ii) £100,000; and what the total expenditure was on press and public relations by each of those organisations in the most recent year for which figures are available.

Joseph Johnson: The information requested will take time to collate. I will write to the Hon. Member as soon as it is available, and a copy of my letter will be placed in the Libraries of the House.

Students: Finance

John Pugh: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, if he will estimate the effect on the public purse of replacing maintenance loans with maintenance grants.

Joseph Johnson: Replacing maintenance grants with loans will reduce grant expenditure by around £2.5bn per year by 2020-21 and therefore make a substantial contribution to reducing the deficit. From that new baseline position, entirely replacing the new, larger maintenance loans with grants would increase grant expenditure – and the deficit – by around £8bn per year.

Students: Loans

John Pugh: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what plans the Government has to change the rate of interest on student loans (a) retrospectively for recent graduates and current students and (b) for future students during the current Parliament.

Joseph Johnson: There are no plans to change the rate of interest on student loans retrospectively for recent graduates and current students.The interest rates are reviewed annually and the rates set from 1st September for the following 12 months. This is set out in the Education (Student Loans) (Repayment) Regulations. It is too early yet to say what the rate will be from September 2016.For the pre-2012 scheme, the rate used is the March Retail Prices Index (RPI) figure which applies during the 12 month period commencing 1st September. If, however, the base rate plus 1% across a specified group of banks is lower than RPI, then this lower rate will be applied instead.For the post-2012 scheme, the rate is also set by reference to the March RPI figure (2.5%):RPI plus 3% is applied whilst the borrower is studying and up until the April after leaving their course;After April 2016, variable rates of interest dependent on the borrower’s income will apply for those in repayment. These range from RPI for those earning £21,000 or less to RPI plus 3% for those earning £41,000 or more; andBorrowers who lose touch with the SLC after they leave their course will be subject to an interest rate of RPI + 3%.

Department for Business, Innovation and Skills: Visits Abroad

Michael Fabricant: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, which countries have not had an official visit by a Minister in his Department since May 2010.

Joseph Johnson: The information requested could only be provided at disproportionate cost. However details of Ministers’ overseas travel are published quarterly on the Gov.uk website:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications?departments%5B%5D=department-for-business-innovation-skills&publication_type=transparency-data

Inspiring Science Capital Fund

Holly Lynch: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what the timetable is for developing the business case for the Inspiring Science Capital Fund.

Joseph Johnson: The business case for the Inspiring Science Capital Fund is currently being developed with science stakeholders, and is expected to go through the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills Investment Gateway process within the next two months. No funding can be confirmed until the business case is agreed.

Department for Business, Innovation and Skills: Staff

Liz Kendall: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many people of each gender work in his Department.

Joseph Johnson: The figures for BIS HQ (including UKTI), as at 31 December 2015 are:GenderPercentage (Number)Female49% (1501)Male51% (1563)

Students: Loans

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, pursuant to the Answer of 17 December 2015 to Question 20062, what estimate his Department has made of the total value of student loans likely to be written off in each year between 2025 and 2036; and if he will make a statement.

Joseph Johnson: More people than ever before are now able to benefit from higher education, and the student loan system ensures that access to finance should not be a barrier to participation.For students starting their Higher Education course prior to the 2020-21 academic year the nominal value of student loans that are expected to be written off in each of the financial years 2025-26 to 2036-37 are as follows:Financial year2025-262026-272027-282028-292029-302030-312031-322032-332033-342034-352035-362036-37Write-off amount (nominal; £m)4804604805305706106706407101,1601,5501,660Source: BIS Student Loan Repayment Model. Figures are rounded to the nearest £10m.This table includes loans written-off owing to any of the following circumstances: a) if the loan borrower started their Higher Education course prior to 2006-07 academic year and has reached the age of 65; b) the borrower has died; c) the borrower becomes disabled and is permanently unable to work; or d) if the loan borrower started their Higher Education course between 2006-07 and 2011-12 academic years and 25 years have passed since the borrower became eligible to repay.

Department for Business, Innovation and Skills: Expenditure

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, pursuant to the Answer of 15 December 2015 to Question 1958, what the total budget of the BIS Automotive sector team was in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

Anna Soubry: The total administrative budget associated with the BIS Automotive sector team for the last five financial years was £6,265,356. This is illustrated below:Financial Year Administrative Cost11/12 £1,393,614*^12/13 £1,187,636^13/14 £1,207,986^14/15 £1,256,570^15/16 £1,219,550^*Includes funding for the Advanced Manufacturing Showcasing team who were under the same administrative budget for these years.^ Includes one FTE on loan to the Office for Low Emission Vehicles.The total budget to support Industrial R&D primarily for the Advanced Propulsion Centre and Driverless cars over the last 3 years* was:RDEL(Resource Departmental Expenditure Limit) - £79.327mCDEL (Capital Departmental Expenditure Limit) - £11m.RDEL CDEL13/14 £452,000 £014/15 £26,000,000 £5,000,00015/16 £52,875,000 £6,000,000*There is no data available for 11/12 and 12/13

Israel: Arms Trade

Christian Matheson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what export licences have been granted to UK manufacturers since 2010 to export (a) military and (b) police-related equipment to Israel.

Anna Soubry: Information on arms export licences are published as Official Statistics (from January 2015) in the Annual and Quarterly Reports on Strategic Export Controls. These reports contain detailed information on export licences issued, refused or revoked, by destination, including the overall value, type (e.g. Military, Other) and a summary of the items covered by these licences. They are available to view at GOV.UK. The most recently published information covers the period until 30 June 2015. All export licences are issued in strict accordance with the Consolidated EU and National Arms Export Licensing Criteria.

Postgraduate Education: Finance

Mr Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, for what reason his Department sets an age limit for the receipt of funding for Masters degrees; and if he will make a statement.

Joseph Johnson: The new loan to support Master’s study has an upper age limit to ensure the scheme overall is affordable and offers value for money. The new postgraduate loan will be repaid from earnings on an income contingent basis, in this case 6% of earned annual income above the threshold of £21,000. We are therefore limiting eligibility to cover those likely to continue in employment and enter repayments.

Department for International Development

Developing Countries: Climate Change

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment she has made of the potential effect of climate change on forced migration and population displacement in the period to 2050.

Mr Nick Hurd: There is increasing consensus among experts and academics that climate change will influence the factors that drive migration, changing both migration patterns and the volume of people likely to move, but the relationship is complex. The UK’s Foresight Report (2011) on Migration and Global Environmental Change found that environmental change will affect migration. Through resilience programming DFID is working to support countries, communities and households to anticipate and avoid shocks and stresses where possible, and to adapt when their current activities are no longer appropriate or threatened with collapse due to changing circumstances.

Developing Countries: Females

Patrick Grady: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps her Department is taking to support the collection of data on the effect of sexual and gender-based violence on women in later life in developing countries.

Mr Desmond Swayne: Supporting robust data collection on violence against women and girls and its effects is critical. However, international systems do not yet fully capture sufficient data for those over the age of 49. At UNGA the Secretary of State announced DFID’s role as an anchor partner of the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development Data. We are working with international bodies to support the development of rigorous, national data on violence against women and girls of all ages and its effect. One area we are looking at is whether the internationally recognised Demographic and Health Surveys can be expanded to women in later life.

Hate Crime

Jo Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, if she will make an assessment of the extent to which her Department's policies prioritise the prevention of identity-based mass violence.

Mr Desmond Swayne: The Strategic Defence and Security Review and the UK Aid Strategy set out a consolidated, whole-of-government approach to tackling conflict and building stability overseas. This approach uses diplomatic, development, defence and law enforcement capabilities in an integrated manner. As such, addressing and preventing conflict, instability and state failure is a key priority running through UK aid policies and programmes. This includes the prevention of identity-based mass violence, alongside other forms of violence and instability.These priorities are reflected in National Security Council-led strategies for countries and regions at risk of instability, including of large-scale identity based violence. The underlying drivers and enablers of mass atrocities are addressed as part of joint, cross-government conflict analysis and early warning, and through conflict-sensitive development programming. Development programmes also contribute to the prevention of mass violence by supporting wider conflict prevention and peacebuilding activities - for example by supporting community mediation efforts, or reforming security and justice systems.

Crimes against Humanity

Jo Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how her Department integrates atrocity prevention into its work (a) in at risk countries and (b) with at risk communities.

Mr Desmond Swayne: In the UK Aid Strategy published in the autumn the Government committed to spending at least 50% of the Department for International Development’s budget in fragile states and regions in each year of this parliament, as well as to increasing the Conflict, Stability and Security Fund to over £1.3 billion a year by 2019/20. We are investing in fragile states and regions to build stability and tackle the underlying drivers and enablers of all types of violent conflict - including identity-based mass violence and atrocities - rather than simply responding after violence breaks out.Conflict and large-scale violence are best prevented by enabling societies to develop the strong and legitimate institutions needed to manage tensions peacefully. This requires a long-term, patient approach through increased support to tackle corruption, promote good governance, develop security and justice, and create jobs and economic opportunity. These are essential elements of the golden thread of democracy and development, supporting peaceful and inclusive societies at national and community levels.

Developing Countries: Females

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps she is taking to implement all of Sustainable Development Goal 5 to achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls; and what steps she is taking to meet target 5.2 to eliminate all forms of violence against all women and girls.

Mr Desmond Swayne: The UK worked hard to secure a comprehensive standalone goal on gender equality and women and girls’ empowerment in the Global Goals, and to integrate gender equality throughout the remaining goals. The new Global Goals will help us to influence others, achieve even more, and are critical to achieving transformational change to the lives of girls and women across the globe. The UK has put women and girls at the heart of our international development and humanitarian work. The UK is committed to helping 6.5 million more girls to go to school over the next 5 years. This programme of work will include tackling the difficult issues that keep girls out of school like FGM and child marriage.The UK led efforts across the globe to ensure that a target to end violence against women and girls (VAWG) formed part of the Global Goals. We are now focused on seeing this target implemented. This includes stepping up DFID action to build the evidence base for what works to prevent violence, which will help to convince others that effective action is possible. It also means DFID working with international partners to ensure financial and technical resources are mobilised to tackle VAWG, and working with national and local partners in developing countries to transform social norms to tackle the discriminatory attitudes and behaviours that are the root causes of VAWG.

Developing Countries: Disease Control

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, whether the Ross Fund will include funding to tackle HIV/AIDS; and if she will make a statement.

Mr Nick Hurd: Whilst the Ross Fund is not directly focused on HIV and AIDS, the UK continues to invest in research on HIV and AIDS. This includes research into understanding the structural drivers that can increase HIV (including gender inequality, stigma and limited livelihood opportunities), HIV prevention technologies (such as microbicides and vaccines) and studies to identify cost-effective ways to deliver HIV services. The Ross Fund will target infectious diseases including malaria, diseases with epidemic potential, neglected tropical diseases which affect over a billion people globally, and antimicrobial resistance which poses a substantial and growing threat to global health. The goal of the Ross fund is to develop, test and deliver a range of new products (including vaccines, drugs and diagnostics) to help combat these diseases in developing countries.

Sub-Saharan Africa: Life Expectancy

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what information her Department holds on the average life expectancy for girls aged 15 in sub-Saharan Africa between 2005 and 2015.

Mr Nick Hurd: The UN Population Division estimates that total average life expectancy for fifteen year old girls in Sub-Saharan Africa was 63.53 years between 2005 and 2010 and 66.12 years between 2010 and 2015.

Middle East: Refugee Camps

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, pursuant to the Answer of 5 January 2016 to Question 20540, what assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of the distribution of Syria crisis response funds in (a) Lebanon and (b) Jordan; and if she will make a statement.

Mr Desmond Swayne: To date, the UK has allocated £304 million in Lebanon and £193 million in Jordan to support Syrian refugees and vulnerable host communities. This allocation has effectively delivered humanitarian and development support where needs are greatest and most unmet across both countries. For example, as of June 2015 in Jordan and Lebanon respectively, 1,684,800 and 2,032,500 food rations have been delivered providing food for one person for one month.The effectiveness of the UK’s humanitarian response in Jordan and Lebanon is assessed regularly through progress reports from funded agencies monitoring their achievements against plans outlined in their funding agreements. Progress is followed up through regular discussions and periodic field monitoring visits to project sites by DFID staff based in our Embassies in Amman and Beirut and from our headquarters in the UK. In addition, projects are formally reviewed on an annual basis and in some cases we also commission independent evaluations.

Department for Education

Pupils: Per Capita Costs

Mike Kane: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the average amount received per pupil was in primary and secondary (a) academies, (b) free schools, (c) voluntary aided schools, (d) voluntary controlled schools and (e) community schools in England in each of the last three years.

Mr Sam Gyimah: The income per pupil for each voluntary aided, voluntary controlled and community school for each of the last three financial years is available in the ‘Spend per pupil - grouped data’ download available on the department’s performance tables website.[1]The income per pupil for each academy and free school for each of the last three academic years is available from the main tables of the ‘Income and expenditure in academies in England’ statistical release, available on the department’s website.[2][1] 2013-14 data is available from http://www.education.gov.uk/schools/performance/2014/download_data.html, 2012-13 from http://www.education.gov.uk/schools/performance/2013/download_data.html and 2011-12 data from http://www.education.gov.uk/schools/performance/2012/download_data.html[2] 2013-14 data is available from https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/income-and-expenditure-in-academies-in-england-2013-to-2014, 2012-13 data fromhttps://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/income-and-expenditure-in-academies-in-england-2012-to-2013, and 2011-12 data from https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/income-and-expenditure-in-academies-in-england-academic-year-2011-to-2012

Sixth Form Colleges

Rebecca Pow: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether sixth form colleges that choose to become academies will be able to enter into contracts with the Skills Funding Agency.

Nick Boles: Sixth form colleges which become 16-19 academies will be able to enter into funding agreements with the Skills Funding Agency (SFA), providing that they are enabled to do so at the time when the college becomes an academy. Applications from sixth form colleges which wish to hold SFA contracts will be considered in the light of forthcoming detailed guidance. This guidance will be published in February, and will set out the full criteria and process for sixth form colleges to apply to become academies as part of the post-16 area review process.

Free School Meals

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 10 November 2015 to Question 15125, when she plans to publish draft proposals on eligibility requirements for free school meals within universal credit; when the consultation on those proposals will be launched; and when she plans to make a final decision on eligibility.

Mr Sam Gyimah: We plan to launch a public consultation on eligibility for free school meals under Universal Credit later in 2016, with a view to having the necessary regulations in place for the end of the year, when the roll out of the full Universal Credit Service to a broader claimant base will be well under way.While this work is on-going, any child whose parent or guardian is receiving Universal Credit will continue to be entitled to free school meals.

Personal, Social, Health and Economic Education

Dr Sarah Wollaston: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of statutory PSHE education for the health of school pupils; and if she will make a statement.

Dr Sarah Wollaston: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Health on the Chief Medical Officer's recommendations that PSHE education be made a routine part of children's education.

Edward Timpson: We want all children to lead healthy and active lives. Schools have a key role to play in supporting this; the new national curriculum sets the expectation that pupils are taught, across a variety of subjects, about the importance of leading healthy and active lives.Schools and teachers already recognise the importance of good PSHE education and know that healthy, resilient, confident pupils are better placed to achieve academically and to be stretched further. In the introduction to the national curriculum, we have made clear that all schools should make provision for PSHE, drawing on examples of good practice.The Secretary of State for Education has regular discussions with the Secretary of State for Health about children’s health and the role schools can play in tackling childhood obesity.

Hackney New Primary School

Meg Hillier: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the cost to the public purse was of the purchase of the Kingsland Fire Station site for use by the Hackney New Primary School; and what the gain to the public purse was of the sale of that site.

Nick Gibb: Neither the Secretary of State for Education nor the Department for Education has purchased this site. The Secretary of State for the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) purchased Kingsland Fire Station, 333 Kingsland Road, London, E8 from the London Fire and Emergency Planning Authority.

Personal, Social, Health and Economic Education

Dr Sarah Wollaston: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential effect of statutory PSHE education on lowering the level of violence against women and girls; and if she will make a statement.

Edward Timpson: High quality Personal, Social, Health and Economic (PSHE) education has a vital role to play in ensuring that young people leave school prepared for life in modern Britain, helping them develop healthy relationships and recognise unhealthy relationships. It can also give them the skills and knowledge to help keep themselves, and each other, safe. The Government has made it clear in the introduction to the framework to the national curriculum that all schools should teach PSHE. Schools and teachers are best placed to develop their own PSHE curriculum based on the needs of their pupils, drawing on guidance provided by expert organisations such as the PSHE Association.As stated in the Government response to the select committee report, we will take forward work with the sector to improve the quality of PSHE, and intend to make significant progress on this issue during this parliament.

Class Sizes

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the pupil-teacher ratio in (a) primary and (b) secondary schools has been in each of the last 10 years; and if she will make a statement.

Nick Gibb: The information requested is published in table 17a in the statistical first release ‘School Workforce in England, November 2014’ and is available from the following web link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/school-workforce-in-england-november-2014

Academies: Finance

Nic Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 3 December 2015 to Question 18680, for what reasons her Department does not hold information on (a) the number of academies in England that were in deficit and (b) the total deficit of those academies in each year since 2009-10.

Nick Gibb: The Department for Education has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Southwell Minster School

Robert Jenrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate she has made of the total funding for Southwell Minster School in (a) 2015-16 and (b) 2016-17.

Robert Jenrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate she has made of per pupil funding for Southwell Minster School in (a) 2015-16 and (b) 2016-17.

Robert Jenrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what per pupil funding for Southwell Minster School was in 2014-15.

Robert Jenrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the total funding for Southwell Minster School was in 2014-15.

Robert Jenrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the level of funding per pupil at Southwell Minster School has been in each year since 2010.

Robert Jenrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the total level of funding at Southwell Minster School has been in each year since 2010.

Mr Sam Gyimah: We do not estimate budgets at an individual school level for future years as they are subject to change depending on pupil numbers, characteristics and the LA funding formula. We do not hold the information requested, but we do publish the allocations at individual school level for the current academic year every October.The following table details the individual school budget and the per pupil funding rates for Southwell Minster School in Newark. These have been sourced wherever possible up to 2012-2013 from published Section 251 statements, which detail local authority spending at school level, and from published school and academy allocations for 2013-14, 2014-15 and 2015-16.Minster Southwell SchoolTotal pupilsTotal Funding (£)Per pupil (£)2010-111,6456,701,4514,0742011-121,6237,097,5544,3732012-131,5997,172,4964,4862013-141,6227,397,4074,5612014-151,6117,187,0454,4612015-161,5917,093,6494,459

Pupils: Per Capita Costs

Robert Jenrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the average level of funding per pupil in secondary schools in Newark constituency has been in each year since 2010.

Robert Jenrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the average level of funding per pupil has been in secondary schools in Nottinghamshire in each year since 2010.

Mr Sam Gyimah: Funding from the Department is primarily allocated at a local authority level, in this case the Nottinghamshire local authority. Since the introduction of the dedicated schools grant (DSG) in 2006-07, figures are no longer available to be shown split by phase of education.Figures for financial years 2010 to 2013 are shown below in cash terms:Average revenue per pupil funding (£)2010-112011-122012-13Nottinghamshire LA4,8104,7504,750Per pupil figures use DSG allocations plus other schools related grants, e.g. school standards grant, school standards grant (personalisation), standards fund, and pupils aged 3-15, rounded to the nearest £10. Most of the additional grants were mainstreamed into DSG in 2011-12.The changes to DSG funding in financial year 2013-14 with funding allocated through three blocks, namely schools, early years and high needs, means there is no longer a comparable overall figure with previous years. The table below shows the DSG schools block unit funding figures in cash terms for Nottinghamshire LA.DSG schools block per pupil funding (£)2013-20142014-20152015-20162016-2017Nottinghamshire LA4,3514,3514,3524,355Since 2011-12, schools have received the Pupil Premium which targets funding at pupils from the most deprived backgrounds to help them achieve their full potential. In 2011-12, the premium was allocated for each pupil known to be eligible for Free School Meals, looked after children and children of parents in the armed services. In 2012-13 coverage was expanded to include pupils known to have been eligible for Free School Meals at any point in the last six years. The amounts per pupil amounts for each type of pupil are shown in following table in cash terms:Pupil Premium per pupil (£)2011-20122012-20132013-20142014-20152015-2016Free School Meal Pupil Primary£488£623£953£1323£1320Free School Meal Pupil Secondary£488£623£900£935£935Service Children£200£250£300£300£300Looked After Children£488£623£900£1900*£1900**Also includes children adopted from careTotal Pupil Premium allocations for Nottinghamshire local authority and schools in the Newark constituency for each year are shown in the following table in cash terms:Pupil Premium Allocations (£ millions)2011-20122012-20132013-20142014-20152015-16 (prov.)Nottinghamshire LA7.38014.71022.90330.42030.163Newark constituency0.6781.4042.2032.8992.815Figures for Newark exclude the looked after children element as this is not available at a parliamentary constituency level.

Ministry of Justice

Prisons: Mobile Phones

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 10 December 2015 to Question 18875, in which prisons each of those mobile telephones and sim cards were detected in each of those years; and what the number of such detections was per prisoner in each of those years.

Andrew Selous: Mobile phones have no place in our prisons and we have invested in technology to prevent their use. But more needs to be done, and we will look at new ways of finding and blocking them. It is a criminal offence to possess a mobile phone or component part in a prison.The Chancellor announced in the spending review that we will invest in more safety improvements to stamp out the organisation of crime from within prisons, including funding for tackling illicit mobile phones and investing in body scanners.The table below provides the number of ‘‘finds’ of mobile phones and/or SIM cards reported by each prison between April 2010, when recording started, and December 2014. One ‘find’ may constitute a handset containing one SIM card or media card, a handset only, or a SIM card only.Table: Number of mobile phone and SIM card finds broken down by prison.ESTABLISHMENT2010*20112012201320142010*-2014 totalACKLINGTON6328---91ALBANY0340-7ALTCOURSE (C)7906095342906892912ASHFIELD(C)122005ASHWELL27---9ASKHAM GRANGE002103AYLESBURY2789729176130710BEDFORD2755295328192BELMARSH15259126180355BIRMINGHAM (C)2485373021331401360BLANTYRE HOUSE1912431452BLUNDESTON271116-45BRINSFORD127645182200515BRISTOL5433263237182BRIXTON4667282341205BRONZEFIELD(C)34123131880BUCKLEY HALL1122149111197490BULLINGDON421662351138BULLWOOD HALL18151-25BURE510107CAMP HILL9852221-173CANTERBURY2210217-60CARDIFF1936791485CASTINGTON1011---21CHANNINGS WOOD6463153934215CHELMSFORD4238114499COLDINGLEY37524210634271COOKHAM WOOD611109DARTMOOR27162114298DEERBOLT315242549DONCASTER(C)15624182419646DORCHESTER201485148DOVEGATE (C)524153051125DOVER1421105252DOWNVIEW5521013DRAKE HALL10230419DURHAM244123200108EAST SUTTON PARK1546117EASTWOOD PARK3916928EDMUNDS HILL2522---47ELMLEY454753103308556ERLESTOKE621761379883556EVERTHORPE5032264519172EXETER14211516773FEATHERSTONE392913342128371FELTHAM8465452227243FORD61250200202270983FOREST BANK (C)12237105165258687FOSTON HALL0126211FRANKLAND6270520FULL SUTTON104921035GARTH7632393336216GARTREE1422655720178GLEN PARVA2483421GLOUCESTER1430-8GRENDON171030131GUYS MARSH771821755475563HASLAR002002HATFIELD105815496104422HAVERIGG10713429117295799HEWELL762893351663661232HIGHDOWN23684961164365HIGHPOINT8055180203214732HINDLEY1461921HOLLESLEY BAY1931299012059591HOLLOWAY77105837HOLME HOUSE181559105152HULL2325132265HUNTERCOMBE23692634107ISIS85239184121ISLE OF WIGHT---044KENNET45983561KINGSTON6000-6KIRKHAM2733904934885262170KIRKLEVINGTON GRANGE13151991975LANCASTER CASTLE18----18LANCASTER FARMS89792511792402LATCHMERE HOUSE6940---109LEEDS53592787154LEICESTER272615924101LEWES38463051140305LEYHILL8327304942231LINCOLN283341369LINDHOLME164961456370538LITTLEHEY133442760LIVERPOOL138118886515424LONG LARTIN1231772834182LOW NEWTON030014LOWDHAM GRANGE (C)27102624289MAIDSTONE634222638126MANCHESTER413623128120MOORLAND11165132052261MOORLAND OPEN10----10MORTON HALL0452516MOUNT8678182220111677NEW HALL201104NORTH SEA CAMP8663676148325NORTHALLERTON07311-21NORTHUMBERLAND (C)-15109130170424NORWICH3015111866140NOTTINGHAM11381716136218OAKWOOD (C)0033194181408ONLEY53686585197468PARC (C)3279161630173PARKHURST682016-50PENTONVILLE207199124149282961PETERBOROUGH (C)141145604451441PORTLAND2461110051PRESCOED0244919PRESTON181591298152RANBY901243002292611004READING122575-49RISLEY7212378430235ROCHESTER6102360145244RYE HILL (C)42797011371375SEND3121113847SHEPTON MALLET3741-15SHREWSBURY3000-3SPRING HILL121334117104280STAFFORD126914707172STANDFORD HILL150186127270159892STOCKEN2612301138117STOKE HEATH8281944100199STYAL779131046SUDBURY72120124134102552SWALESIDE10058107103241609SWANSEA20161266SWINFEN HALL3244141018118THAMESIDE (C)0089833139THORN CROSS747984109141487USK211138VERNE67144161503425WAKEFIELD1234414WANDSWORTH157131119119163689WARREN HILL51050121WAYLAND2030171534116WEALSTUN57145155120330807WELLINGBOROUGH611951811-438WERRINGTON12496738WETHERBY5351216WHATTON9103518WHITEMOOR1828179173WINCHESTER39331219103WOLDS10496442354321WOODHILL458746474274WORMWOOD SCRUBS14126739128248823WYMOTT5850113452205Subtotal67587786730174519745*April to December only.(C) denotes a privately operated prisonNote: The following prisons closed during the reporting period:HMP Ashwell - April 2011HMP Lancaster Castle - March 2011HMP Latchmere House - April 2012HMP Wellingborough - December 2012HMP Bullwood Hall - March 2013HMP Canterbury - March 2013HMP Gloucester - March 2013HMP Kingston - March 2013HMP Shepton Mallet - March 2013HMP Dorchester - January 2014HMP Shrewsbury - March 2013HMP Camp Hill - March 2013HMP Blundeston - January 2014HMP Northallerton - January 2014HMP Reading - January 2014HMYOI Moorland Open was renamed HMYOI Hatfield in the autumn of 2010HMPs Acklington and Castington became HMP Northumberland in October 2011HMP Edmunds Hill merged into HMP Highpoint in July 2012HMPs Albany and Parkhurst became HMP Isle of Wight in February 2013All figures in this answer have been drawn from live administrative data systems which may be amended at any time.Although care is taken when processing and analysing the returns, the detail collected is subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large scale recording system. The data are not subject to audit.We do not collect data on the number of detections of mobile phones and SIM cards in a way that would enable us to provide a meaningful rate of detection per prisoner.

Juries: Learning Disability

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what support he has made available to enable people with learning disabilities to serve on juries in the last five years.

Mr Shailesh Vara: Jury service is one of the most important civic duties that anyone can be asked to perform. Her Majesty’s Courts and Tribunal Service (HMCTS) is committed to ensuring that the public are provided with the necessary support to fulfil this duty where possible.Jurors are asked in advance to let HMCTS know if they have any special requirements as a result of disability or other special needs. Where courts are informed about a potential juror’s particular needs, HMCTS will make adjustments that can reasonably be made to enable them to carry out their jury service.HMCTS does not retain records of such requests and is unable to provide data of such instances in the last five years.

Reoffenders

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the proportion of released prisoners subsequently convicted for offences committed in the first 18 days after release was in the last 12 months for which figures are available.

Andrew Selous: In 2013, 8.6% of all released prisoners (adult and juvenile prisoners combined) were subsequently convicted for offences committed in the first 18 days after release.Our prison system needs reform. It fails to rehabilitate or make sure criminals are prevented from offending again.We must act to reduce re-offending, cut crime and make our streets safer. Without reform, there will be more reoffending, more crime, more victims and the public will be less safe.The table below provides the proportion of adult and juvenile offenders that committed a proven re-offence1 within 18 days of release, for those released from custody in 20132.2013AdultsJuvenilesProportion who reoffended within 18 days from total of all released.8.62%7.7%A re-offence is defined as an offence that is proven through a court conviction, caution, or reprimand or final warning (for juveniles). 2. These figures have been derived from administrative IT systems which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing. A certain proportion of offenders who could not be matched to the Police National Computer (PNC) are excluded from the offender cohort. Therefore, these numbers do not represent all proven offenders.

Reoffenders

Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the effect of education on the probability of illiterate offenders reoffending.

Andrew Selous: We need a new emphasis in prisons on rehabilitation. We want prisons to be places of rigorous education where offenders can get the skills to make a success of life on the outside. When so many entering custody lack basic skills in numeracy and literacy, it would be a travesty if we didn’t get them reading and writing when they are in our care. That is why the Justice Secretary has asked Dame Sally Coates to lead a review of education in our prisons.

Prisons: Drugs

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the change has been in the amount of illegal drugs seized in prisons between 2000 and 2015.

Andrew Selous: We take a zero tolerance approach to drugs in prison and there are already a range of robust measures in place in prisons to detect drugs, including the use of search dogs and intelligence-led searches. We recently introduced tough new laws which will see those who smuggle packages over prison walls, including new psychoactive substances, face up to two years in prison. Those who involve themselves in the distribution of drugs in our prisons should know that they will face prosecution and extra time behind bars.The table below gives the number of drug finds in prisons in England and Wales in the timeframe requested:Incidents1 where drugs were found in prison2, England and Wales, 2000 to 20153200037012001407920023683200340232004464720055351200654162007559420085140200947432010385720113696201245162013422720145973(1) Where more than one drug type is found within a single incident, each drug type is counted individually.(2) Includes NOMS operated Immigration Removal Centres.(3) Data in whole years only and is not yet available for 2015Note to Tables:All figures in this answer have been drawn from live administrative data systems which may be amended at any time.Although care is taken when processing and analysing the returns, the detail collected is subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large scale recording system. The data are not subject to audit.

Prisons: Saudi Arabia

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether discussions are still taking place between UK and Saudi officials under the terms of the Memorandum of Understanding signed in October 2014.

Dominic Raab: No work has been undertaken by the Ministry of Justice as a result of the Memorandum of Understanding. No discussions are taking place between the Ministry of Justice and Saudi officials under the terms of the Memorandum.

Rights of Accused

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what discussions he has had with the Home Secretary on proposed legislative steps to protect legally privileged communications from surveillance.

Andrew Selous: Policy responsibility for this area lies with the Home Office. The National Offender Management Service (NOMS) has powers to intercept prisoners’ communications in specific circumstances.Section 4(4) of the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 (RIPA) provides that the interception of communications in prisons is authorised where the conduct is in exercise of a power conferred by the Prison Rules. The Prison Rules allow for interception of a prisoner’s communications if it is necessary on certain specified grounds and proportionate to what is sought to be achieved. The Prison Rules do not permit interception of a prisoner’s communication with the prisoner’s legal adviser, unless the governor of the prison has reasonable cause to believe that the communication is being made with the intention of furthering a criminal purpose and unless authorised by the Chief Executive Officer of NOMS; the director responsible for the national operational services of NOMS; or the duty director of NOMS.

Immigration: Appeals

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the average time was between the date of final submission of papers for an immigration appeal and the date of the hearing in the last 12 months for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Shailesh Vara: HM Courts & Tribunals Service (HMCTS) does not collect information on the average time between the date of final submission of papers for an immigration appeal and the date of the hearing.The average time between the date of receipt of an appeal and the date of the hearing in the 12 months up to 30 September 2015 was 23 weeks.HMCTS has allocated additional court time between December 2015 and March 2016 to ensure current waiting times for hearings are maintained.

Animal Welfare: Sentencing

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 17 December 2015 to Question 20011, on animal welfare: sentencing, what steps his Department has taken in response to the concerns expressed by Ministers of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

Andrew Selous: The maximum penalty for any offence is set by Parliament and is designed to deal with the most serious case. The Ministry of Justice keeps under review maximum penalties for offences and considers proposals to increase penalties where there is evidence that the penalty available is insufficient for the courts to deal appropriately with the case.

Children: Custody

Seema Kennedy: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of enforcement powers for court orders relating to child custody.

Caroline Dinenage: The Government has not made any recent assessment. The family court has a wide range of enforcement powers to secure compliance with a child arrangements order.Where a person named in a child arrangements order breaches it without good reason, the court may make an enforcement order requiring that person to carry out unpaid work. The court may also order that person to pay financial compensation for any loss suffered by another person named in the child arrangements order. These sanctions are in addition to the general powers of the court to treat the breach of a court order as a contempt of court, which is punishable by a fine or imprisonment. The court may alternatively vary the terms of the child arrangements order (reconsidering the provisions made) if it considers this necessary to make the arrangements work in the best interests of the child.

Ministry of Justice: Staff

Liz Kendall: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people of each gender work in his Department.

Mike Penning: The Department publishes diversity report which contains workforce data broken down by gender on an annual basis. The last published report for 2013/2014 can be found at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/diversity-report-2013-to-2014

Matrimonial Proceedings

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many settlements his Department estimates have been affected by errors on his Department's Form E divorce form.

Mr Shailesh Vara: An investigation into this issue is taking place. Officials are taking steps to identify rapidly cases where the regrettable error caused by the embedded calculator at table 2.20 may have had an impact, and we will be writing to anyone affected as soon as possible. Anyone concerned about their own court proceedings should contact formE@hmcts.gsi.gov.uk. The form now online no longer contains the error.

Offenders: Deportation

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many foreign nationals were returned to their home country up to (a) six and (b) 12 months before their prison release dates under the early removal scheme in the last five years.

Andrew Selous: Foreign criminals who break our laws should be properly punished but not at the expense of the British taxpayer. We are committed to ensuring that all means possible are explored to make sure that criminals who have no right to stay in this country are removed at the earliest opportunity.Under the Early Removal Scheme (ERS), which has been in operation since 2005, foreign national offenders serving a determinate sentence may be removed from prison and deported up to a maximum of 270 days (9 months) before their normal release date. They must serve a minimum of a quarter of their sentence before they can be removed under the scheme.Last year we returned more than 5,000 prisoners to their home country with around 1,800 being removed under ERS. Data on the number of foreign nationals removed under ERS (a) up to six months and (b) between six and nine months before their prison release date (as nine months is the statutory maximum period of early removal) for the last five years is provided in the table below:Table 1: Foreign National Offenders (FNOs) removed under the Early Removal Scheme (ERS)of which:-YearTotal number of FNOs removed under ERSRemoved up to 6 months before prison release dateRemoved between 6 and 9 months before prison release dateFY 2010-111,7881,132656FY 2011-121,7251,049676FY 2012-131,9301,200730FY 2013-141,8321,070762FY 2014-151,7911,064727(1) The figures quoted have been derived from management information from the Home Office databases and are therefore provisional and subject to change. This information has not been quality assured under National Statistics protocols.(2) A Foreign National Offender (FNO) is defined as an individual with a criminal case on the Home Office's Case Information Database, and may include individuals with asylum cases.(3) ERS removals figures relate to the total number of FNOs removed under ERS, i.e. they include criteria and non criteria FNOs.(4) Prison release date refers to the 'Earliest Release Date' (ERD) on the Home Office's Case Information Database. Figures relating to those FNOs removed early are based on the calculation between ERD and Removal Outcome Date.

Prime Minister

Syria: Military Intervention

Frank Field: To ask the Prime Minister, what steps the Government has taken to meet the conditions set out in the motion passed by the House on 2 December 2015 on ISIL in Syria.

Mr David Cameron: I refer the right hon. Member to the oral statement made by the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond) on 16 December 2015, Official Report, column 1566.

British Nationals Abroad: Safety

Jo Cox: To ask the Prime Minister, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of creating a cross-cabinet position responsible for the protection of civilians abroad who are at risk of mass atrocity crimes.

Mr David Cameron: The Government has an established cross-governmental process, overseen by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, that supports international efforts to protect civilians at risk from mass atrocities.The Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my hon. Friend the Member for Rochford and Southend East (Mr Duddridge) is responsible for conflict issues and UK policy on the prevention of mass atrocities. The Minister of State, my noble friend the right hon. The Baroness Anelay of St Johns, is responsible for Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict in her role as my Special Representative. Baroness Anelay of St Johns is also responsible for UN peacekeeping and the International Criminal Court, and contributes to policy in both these areas.The Foreign and Commonwealth Office also works to ensure that any British Nationals caught up in mass atrocity crimes are supported.The Government’s crisis management committee, COBR, also provides a mechanism to manage the cross-government response to such events.

Ministry of Defence

Armed Forces: Animals

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many official animal mascots there are in the armed forces; and what the (a) rank, (b) rations, (c) species and (d) regiment is of such mascots.

Mark Lancaster: Official military animal mascots are a long-standing tradition in our Armed Forces and carry out ceremonial roles and duties. There are a total of nine publicly funded official mascots in the Armed Forces, all of which are attached to the Army. The details are provided below:NameRankRationsSpeciesRegimentTalaveraNonePasture forage and concentrateDrum HorseThe Royal Scots Dragoon GuardsAlamein (‘Charlie')NonePasture forage and concentrateDrum HorseThe Queen's Royal HussarsDomhnall of ShantamonNoneDog foodWolfhoundIrish GuardsNoneNonePasture forage and concentrateIndian black buckThe Royal Regiment of FusiliersLlwelynFusilierPasture forage and concentrateKashmiri goat1st Battalion The Royal WelshShenkin IIILance CorporalPasture forage and concentrateKashmiri goat3rd Battalion The Royal WelshDerby XXXLance CorporalPasture forage and concentrateSwaledale ramThe Mercian RegimentCruachan IVLance CorporalPasture forage and concentrateShetland ponyThe Royal Regiment of ScotlandPegasus VLance CorporalPasture forage and concentrateShetland ponyThe Parachute RegimentAs their traditional Regimental Mascot, an Indian black buck, is now an endangered species, the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers have adopted a British Otterhound as their stand-in Regimental Mascot; he holds the rank of Fusilier and is fed dog food.

Armoured Fighting Vehicles

Kirsten  Oswald: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what plans he has to replace the 7.62mm chain guns on Warrior infantry fighting vehicles.

Mr Philip Dunne: A contract was placed in October 2011 for the Warrior Capability Sustainment Programme which will keep this highly successful armoured fighting vehicle at the front and centre of combat capability for the next 25 years. The programme will include an improved turret with a new stabilised 40mm cannon and a tailored armour mounting system. The 7.62mm coaxial chain gun from the current in-service Warrior vehicle will be retained , but will receive a number of modifications including to the ammunition feed system

RAF Northolt

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what revenue is generated through civilian aviation usage at RAF Northolt.

Mark Lancaster: In the last financial year 2014-15, the revenue generated from civil aviation usage was £7.02 million.

Bahrain: Military Bases

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether further work will be required at HMS Jufair to make it capable of hosting the Queen Elizabeth Class Aircraft Carrier.

Penny Mordaunt: Queen Elizabeth Class (QEC) carriers will be able to utilise the Mina Salman Support Facilities whilst at anchor in the vicinity of the port in Bahrain. However, due to draught constraints QEC carriers will not be able to berth directly alongside the Mina Salman Support Facility itself.

Military Bases

Mrs Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether local record management instructions exist to augment paragraph 2.11.2 of JSP441 Defence Records Management Policy and Procedures at (a) MOD Grantown-on-Spey, (b) MOD Llanrwst, (c) MOD Fairbourne and (d) MOD Crickhowell.

Mark Lancaster: In accordance with JSP441, para 2.11.2, the Senior Information Officer (SIO) is to ensure that local management instructions exist to augment those contained in JSP 441 and that they are to be reviewed to ensure consistency with JSP 441. At all of the establishments listed the relevant SIO provides guidance and all staff undertake annual IT training.

Afghanistan: Armed Conflict

Douglas Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to page 11 of the Op HERRICK (Afghanistan) Aircraft Statistics document, published on 29 October 2015, how many of the 68 strikes made using the Dual Mode Brimstone missile during operation HERRICK were completed with the aid of ground-based HUMINT.

Penny Mordaunt: We do not comment on intelligence matters I am therefore withholding the information as its disclosure would or would be likely to prejudice the capability, effectiveness or Security of the Armed Forces.

Trident Submarines: Lighting

John Woodcock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what process his Department followed in awarding the lighting contracts for the Successor submarines.

John Woodcock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, for what reasons there was no bidding process for the primary lighting contract for the Successor submarines.

Mr Philip Dunne: No contract has yet been awarded for the Successor primary lighting system.

Trident Submarines: Procurement

John Woodcock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when his Department conducted its most recent review of the procurement process for the Successor submarines.

Mr Philip Dunne: All Ministry of Defence programmes are routinely subject to regular review as part of the standard approvals and scrutiny process. The most recent review of the Successor programme was produced in December 2015.

Defence: Expenditure

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the annual maintenance spend by the (a) Royal Navy, (b) British Army and (c) Royal Air Force has been in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Philip Dunne: Annual maintenance spend, on equipment support and property management, is not recorded by individual arm of Service. This is because our Armed Services operate as integrated joint organisations in which the Royal Navy, Army and Royal Air Force work together and share land, buildings, facilities and equipment.

Armed Forces: Recruitment

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the performance of Capita in the recruitment programme to the Regular and the Reserve Forces; what progress has been made in such recruitment; and if he will make a statement.

Penny Mordaunt: Since March 2013 the Army has been delivering its recruiting operations with Capita through the Recruiting Partnering Project (RPP). Both the Army and Capita are investing to improve recruiting performance, and over 14,000 Regular and Reserve personnel have joined in the last 12 months.

Joint Strike Fighter Aircraft

Douglas Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department has undertaken a programme of independent penetration testing of the Autonomous Logistics Information System on board the F35B Lightning II fighter.

Douglas Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department is taking to ensure the security of data transmission between the F35B Lightning II fighter and remote monitoring and control stations.

Douglas Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what risk assessment his Department has made of the Autonomous Logistics Information System during testing for the F35B Lightning II fighter.

Mr Philip Dunne: The Autonomous Logistics Information System is part of the ground based information system and is not fitted on board the F-35B Lightning II fighter aircraft. Both the Autonomous Logistics Information System and the F-35B Lightning II fighter aircraft have been subject to a comprehensive independent programme of penetration testing.Risk assessments of the Autonomous Logistics Information System and its interfaces with the F-35B Lightning II fighter are conducted continuously throughout the test programme. All classified data transmissions to and from the F-35B Lightning II fighter aircraft are fully encrypted.

Reserve Forces

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what progress has been made on delivery of the Future Reserves 2020 programme; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Julian Brazier: Our programme to grow the Reserve forces remains on track. We have made a number of improvements to ensure we reach our target strength of 35,000 trained volunteer reservists by 31 March 2019. Central to this is an improved offer, which includes better training, better equipment, improved remuneration and an improved experience for reservists.We have also widened the opportunity for reservists to contribute on operations and established a new relationship with employers as well as improving the support available to employers when a reservist employee is mobilised. These actions are in addition to improving capacity and flow in the recruiting process and our marketing campaigns.As a result, more reservists are joining either as new entrants to the military or with prior experience either in the Regulars or in the Reserves. 8,660 joined the FR20 Volunteer Reserve in the 12 months to 1 November 2015, a 56% rise on the equivalent period a year earlier, and the trained strength has risen to 26,290, ahead of target.

Norway: NATO

Douglas Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what discussions he has had with the Norwegian Ministry of Defence on NATO maritime strategy.

Mr Julian Brazier: I have attended NATO Defence Ministerials which have discussed the NATO Maritime Strategy and posture alongside my counter-parts from NATO including Norway.

Maritime Patrol Aircraft

Douglas Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether the Government has sent a letter of request to the Defense Security Cooperation Agency for the purchase of P-8 Maritime Patrol Aircraft.

Mr Philip Dunne: The Ministry of Defence can confirm that a letter of request has been sent to the appropriate United States authorities for the procurement of the P-8A Poseidon Maritime Patrol Aircraft and its associated support systems.

Maritime Patrol Aircraft

Douglas Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what plans his Department has to lease US Air Force Poseidon P-8 aircraft prior to the entry into service of the UK P-8 aircraft in 2019-20.

Mr Philip Dunne: There are currently no plans to lease P-8 aircraft.

Maritime Patrol Aircraft

Douglas Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what information he holds on whether the purchase of P-8 Maritime Patrol Aircraft through the US foreign military sales procedure will require US Congressional approval.

Mr Philip Dunne: All US foreign military sales cases are subject to normal US processes and procedures. As such, this will require congressional approval.

Future Strategic Tanker Aircraft

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether the planned multi-role ministerial transport aircraft will have an updated livery to reflect its new purpose.

Mr Philip Dunne: There are no such plans.

Armed Forces: Mental Health Services

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 5 January 2016 to Question 20200, what estimate his Department has made of its total spend on mental health specialists in each of the last five years.

Mark Lancaster: The average costs for military, reserves and civilian personnel for each of the last three years, the period for which figures are available, are provided in the table below.Where gaps exist in military or civilian mental health services delivery staff, locums may be used, the costs of which are also provided.YearMilitaryReservesCivilianLocumsmillionmillionmillionmillion2013£15.06£0.37£2.01£3.242014£15.12£0.19£2.06£2.692015£14.18£0.20£3.17£2.77AVERAGE£14.79£0.29£2.41£2.9

Department for Work and Pensions

Department for Work and Pensions: Information Officers

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many press and public relations are employed by (a) the Disabled People's Employment Corporation, (b) Health and Safety Executive, (c) National Employment Savings Trust Corporation, (d) Pensions Advisory Service, (e) Pensions Regulator, (f) Pension Protection Fund Ombudsman, (g) Pensions Ombudsman, (h) Pension Protection Fund; how many of those employees were paid more than (i) £50,000 and (ii) £100,000; and what the total cost of running press office in each of those organisations was in the most recent period for which figures are available.

Justin Tomlinson: Across Government, the government communications profession saved £330 million for taxpayers last year compared to 2009 to 2010 - by making its campaigns more cost effective. This means that we reduced communications spending by a total of £1 billion during the last Parliament.The Health and Safety Executive employs six full time press officers. No press officer is paid more than £50,000. The total cost of running the press office In 2014/15 was £858,000, including staff payroll costs of £291,000 and media monitoring, evaluation and other support services of £567,000.The National Employment Savings Trust Corporation employs the equivalent of 3.3 full time staff to deliver press and public relations. One person is paid over £50,000 per annum. The total cost of running the press office in 2014/15 was £193,000, including staff payroll costs of £124,000 and non-staff costs of £69,000.The Pensions Regulator employs two people in their press office, both of whom earn over £50,000 per annum. The total cost of running the press office in 2014/15 was £364,000, including staff payroll costs of £316,000 and media monitoring service costs of £48,000.The Pension Protection Fund employs two members of staff whose duties are primarily related to press and public relations. One of these members of staff earns more than £50,000 per annum. The total cost of running the press office in 2014/15 was £169,000, including staff payroll costs of £132,000 and supplier costs of £37,000.The Pensions Advisory Service, Pensions Ombudsman and Pensions Protection Fund Ombudsman do not have a press office, or employ any press or public relations staff. Since August 2015, the Pensions Ombudsman has engaged a part time Communications Manager at a salary less than £50,000 per annum.The Disabled People’s Employment Corporation (GB) Ltd is a non-trading company, managing legacy issues following the sale of Remploy Ltd into the private sector in April 2015. DPEC is winding up its affairs and now employs no staff. In 2014/15, the company employed four staff in its Marketing Communications department, all earning over £50,000 per annum. The total cost of running the press office in 2014/15 was £418,000.

Universal Credit

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will undertake a distributional analysis of the effect of recent changes to the work allowances within universal credit.

Priti Patel: We have no plans to publish further distributional analysis. Changes to work allowances are one part of a package of changes to the tax and welfare systems at the Summer Budget and Autumn Statement, which are intended to move Britain from a low wage, high welfare economy to a high wage, lower welfare economy.

Universal Credit

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate he has made of the forecast number of people who will (a) move into work, (b) move out of poverty, (c) have increased income and (d) have increased of income of more than £25 a week following transition to universal credit.

Priti Patel: Universal Credit (UC)is fundamentally different from the current legacy benefit system and supports more people into work and encourages them to earn more. We expect up to 300,000 more people to be in work as a result of UC.The Government has committed to transitional arrangements as we reform the benefits and Tax Credit system. Those transferred by DWP from tax credits to UC will receive Transitional Protection. In addition, estimates of entitlements under UC of the sort requested are not available as they will vary depending on assumptions on the level of earnings.

22q11.2 Deletion Syndrome

Kevin Hollinrake: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what account is taken of 22q11.2 deletion syndrome in assessing health conditions as part of work capability assessments.

Priti Patel: Entitlement to Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) is based not on what health conditions a claimant has, but on the functional impact of those conditions. During the Work Capability Assessment claimants are assessed against a number of descriptors covering physical, mental, cognitive and intellectual functions. The healthcare professional makes a recommendation on the individual’s functional capability to the DWP Decision Maker, who makes the decision on benefit entitlement by considering all available evidence, including the assessment report and any additional clinical information.

Personal Independence Payment: Multiple Sclerosis

Neil Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people with multiple sclerosis who were awarded the daily living component of personal independence payment scored all of their points due to aid and appliances.

Justin Tomlinson: For Multiple Sclerosis, the number of individuals awarded the Daily Living component of PIP who scored all of their points due to aids and appliances is 2,200.This data relates to the period April 2013 to 30th September 2015, and includes Normal Rules awards only.DWP are currently running a consultation to seek views on how support can best be provided to help meet the costs of disability which are faced by people who are currently awarded points due to aids and appliances. The department is keen to hear views from all interested parties, especially disabled people and disability organisations.

Housing Benefit: Supported Housing

Jess Phillips: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to planned changes to the housing benefit cap announced in the Spending Review and Autumn Statement 2015, what assessment he has made of the effect of that cap on (a) domestic violence refuges and (b) other supported accommodation.

Jess Phillips: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will exempt (a) domestic violence refuges and (b) other supported accommodation where higher rates of housing benefit are paid from planned changes to the housing benefit cap.

Justin Tomlinson: The introduction of Local Housing Allowance limits to social sector tenants in receipt of Housing Benefit or the housing element of Universal Credit will only apply from April 2018 where new tenancies have been taken out or renewed after April 2016.The Department is working on the exact policy design details for tenants in supported accommodation which includes domestic violence refuges.

Mesothelioma: Compensation

Mrs Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will take steps to allow people in receipt of the War Disablement Pension for mesothelioma to apply for the new compensation settlement award.

Justin Tomlinson: Specified payments are set out in the Mesothelioma Scheme Regulations and include payments under the Naval, Military and Air Forces Etc. (Disability and Death) Service Pensions Order 2006 and payments under the Armed Forces and Reserve Forces (Compensation Scheme) Order 2011. If a person is eligible for or in receipt of a war disablement pension under either of these Orders then they are not eligible for a payment under the Diffuse Mesothelioma Payment Scheme (DMPS).The Department does not intend to change the rules relating to specified payments in relation to DMPS.

Personal Independence Payment

Debbie Abrahams: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what proportion of personal independence payment recipients the sample of 105 cases represented in his Department's Consultation on aids and appliances and the daily living component of personal independence payment; what methodology his Department used in its review of those cases; and how that sample was selected.

Justin Tomlinson: As part of the consultation on aids and appliances and the daily living component of PIP, the Department reviewed a sample of 105 cases where claimants scored all, or the majority, of their points from aids and appliances. These were randomly selected.PIP is designed to provide a contribution to the additional costs faced by those with a long-term impairment or health-condition. Yet in over 90% of the cases reviewed claimants were likely to have only low or minimal additional costs. This was based on the professional opinion of DWP doctors who looked at all the information held on departmental systems relating to each case.The Department’s latest published statistics show that, as of October 2015, there were 611,121 PIP claimants. 105 cases would represent 0.02% of this figure. However, this includes claimants who receive the mobility component, which is not within scope of the consultation, as well as those who receive the daily living component, the majority of whom did not score all, or most, of their points from aids and appliances.Given the strength of the pattern that emerged from the review of the 105 cases, we believe that the cases provide an important indication of how the assessment is working and that it was important to include these findings in the consultation document.

Personal Independence Payment

Debbie Abrahams: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will extend the deadline for submissions on his Department's Consultation on aids and appliances and the daily living component of personal independence payment.

Justin Tomlinson: The Department’s consultation on aids and appliances and the daily living component of PIP began on 10 December 2015 and is scheduled to run until 29 January 2015, a period of 7 weeks and one day.The time period for the consultation was decided in line with the Government’s consultation principles guidance. This advises that consultations should typically run for between 2 and 12 weeks, but that “the timing and length of a consultation should be decided on a case-by-case basis”.As we are consulting on the specific and discrete issue of how aids and appliances are accounted for when determining eligibility to the daily living component, we feel 6 weeks is an appropriate length. The last PIP consultation, on the Moving Around activity, also lasted for 6 weeks. As the consultation is running over the Christmas period this was extended by 8 days.The Department therefore believes that the existing consultation deadline allows reasonable time in which to respond.

Universal Credit: Domestic Violence

Jess Phillips: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many applicants for Universal Credit have requested split payments on the grounds of domestic abuse since the launch of universal credit in the pilot areas; and what proportion of the total number of applicants have so claimed.

Priti Patel: The information requested is not currently available.

Social Security Benefits

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment the Government has made of the number of additional claimants of (a) working tax credit (WTC) and (b) the universal credit version of WTC who will have to report a change of circumstances to HM Revenue and Customs year-on-year after the in-year income rise disregard for both benefits is reduced from April 2016; and how many such claimants will see their entitlement (i) reduced and (ii) increased.

Priti Patel: The information requested is not available.

Working Tax Credit

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of possible factors that would trigger a change in circumstances for a working tax credit claimant who has been transferred from universal credit (UC) which would cause their tax credit entitlement to be re-assessed based on UC thresholds.

Priti Patel: The information requested is not available.

Pension Credit

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will make an assessment of how many pensioners will have the assessed income periods of their pension credit end early as a result of changes to pension credit on 6 April 2016.

Justin Tomlinson: We estimate that around 250,000 Pension Credit recipients will have their assessed income period (AIP) end early. This estimate is based on DWP administrative data and includes an assumption about the number of new AIPs that will be set between now and 5 April 2016. The end of an AIP does not necessarily change the Pension Credit award; the effect depends on whether any changes to income or capital have taken place.

Housing Benefit: Social Rented Housing

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what impact assessment he has made of the Government's proposal to limit housing benefit for claimants in the social housing sector to local housing allowance rates from 2018.

Justin Tomlinson: This policy is still under development and full impact and equality impact assessments will be undertaken in due course.This measure is not being introduced until April 2018 and only then where new tenancies have been taken out or existing tenancies renewed from 1 April 2016.

State Retirement Pensions: Preston

Mr Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many women in Preston constituency who were born in November 1954 have been notified of changes in the age at which they will receive the state pension; and when his Department notified each such person.

Justin Tomlinson: We do not have the information requested at this level.I can confirm that in February 2012, 375,000 letters explaining the State Pension age changes were sent to men and women (across Great Britain and Overseas) with a date of birth in the range 06/10/1954 to 05/04/1955.

State Retirement Pensions: Eligibility

Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many (a) men and (b) women will not qualify for a pension under the new state pension rules.

Justin Tomlinson: Men or women who reach State Pension age on or after 6 April 2016 will be eligible to receive the new State Pension and will do so as long as they have at least 10 qualifying years. Estimates of the number of pensioners in Great Britain who do not have 10 qualifying years will shortly be published in ‘Impact of New State Pension (nSP) on an Individual’s Pension Entitlement – Longer Term Effects of nSP’.

Universal Credit: ICT

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what proportion of the new technology required to implement universal credit was completed by 1 January in (a) 2012, (b) 2013, (c) 2014, (d) 2015 and (e) 2016.

Priti Patel: The technology for Universal Credit delivery and rollout has been developed in such a way as to support the needs of the numbers and types of people who access Universal Credit at any given time. We do not have a detailed point-in-time breakdown for the dates given.

Universal Credit

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate he has made of the number of claimants of universal credit who will be affected by the changes to benefits taking effect from April 2016.

Priti Patel: The information requested is not available.However, the latest statistics indicate that the majority of existing Universal Credit claimants will see no change in entitlement as a result of the April 2016 changes. This is either because they are not yet in work or because they are already in work with earnings above the relevant threshold.

Universal Credit

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate he has made of the average change in entitlement for existing universal credit claimants who are in work as a result of changes to benefits taking effect in April 2016.

Priti Patel: The vast majority of existing Universal Credit claimants will see no change in entitlement. Those who are in work and who are affected will receive additional support from their work coach and, where appropriate, from the locally administered flexible support fund.

Department for Work and Pensions: Staff

Liz Kendall: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people of each gender work in his Department.

Justin Tomlinson: As at 30thNovember 2015 the gender figures are:Female 57,907 (68.5%)Male 26,568 (31.5%)

Industrial Health and Safety: Denmark

Mrs Louise Ellman: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what representations he has made to the Danish government on the death of Stephen O'Malley since the adjournment debate of 25 November 2015.

Justin Tomlinson: A transcript of the debate was passed to the Danish authorities, via the Danish Deputy Chief Prosecutor, on 27 November 2015.The Danish authorities have since confirmed that their State Attorney is reviewing the case, and is expected to make a decision on whether to re-open the case or agree that the original findings were correct, in January 2016.

Housing Benefit: Supported Housing

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate his Department has made of the likely change in the total cost of housing benefit as a result of the introduction of capping of housing benefit for tenants in supported housing at the local rate of local housing allowance in (a) 2018-19, (b) 2019-20 and (c) 2020-21.

Justin Tomlinson: The overall change in the total cost of Housing Benefit from the introduction of the Local Housing Allowance caps into the Social Rented Sector is available on the GOV.UK website and can be accessed using the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/480565/SRAS2015_policy_costings_amended_page_25.pdf (Page 35).However, the Department does not hold in the information required to provide the change in the total cost of Housing Benefit for supported housing.

Department for Culture, Media and Sport

Concert Halls: Greater London

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how much capital funding his Department has allocated to construction of a new concert hall in London led by the Barbican Centre.

Mr Edward Vaizey: The Department for Culture, Media and Sport has not allocated any capital funding for the construction of the new concert hall in London.

Football: Living Wage

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether he plans to meet Premier League supporters clubs before his next meeting with the Executive Chair of the Premier League to discuss the living wage.

Tracey Crouch: We welcome the commitment that clubs in the Premier League have made to paying the living wage to their full-time employees, and we see no reason why this cannot be extended to include all employees. That is the message I will put across to the Executive Chair of the League when we next meet.

VisitEngland

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if he will define what powers the Visit England Board will have over the strategic direction and decisions on the Discover England Fund.

Tracey Crouch: The VisitEngland Board will be an advisory body, responsible for advising the executive and board of the British Tourist Authority (BTA) on how best to deliver and monitor English activity, including the Discover England fund. The strategic direction for the Discover England fund will be set out in an England Action Plan. This will be signed off by the Minister for Tourism and will be drafted with advice from the VisitEngland Boardas the Secretary of State's statutory advisory body on English Tourism, but ultimate accountability for delivery of the plan, and for decisions on the fund, will remain with the Chief Executive and Board of the BTA.

Discover England Fund

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to page 52 of the Spending Review and Autumn Statement 2015, what mechanisms he plans to use to ringfence the £40 million Discover England Fund.

Tracey Crouch: To date all English funding has been ringfenced within the British Tourist Authority. This will continue.The £40m Discover England funding will be separately maintained and accounted for to ensure it is used in support of product development in English destinations, and in accordance with the process and criteria to be published shortly. The progress and spend of the fund will be monitored through regular reports.

VisitEngland

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if he will define the future (a) role and (b) powers of the Visit England Board.

Tracey Crouch: The VisitEngland Board will be an advisory body, responsible for advising the executive and board of the British Tourist Authority on how best to deliver and monitor English activity. The statutory duties and functions of the VisitEngland Board remain as set out in the Development of Tourism Act 1969 and it will remain a unfunded advisory non-departmental public body.

VisitEngland

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what powers and remit the successor to the departing Chief Executive of Visit England will have in addition to being a director of Visit Britain.

Tracey Crouch: This is a matter for the British Tourist Authority (BTA). The BTA is currently considering the detail of its future operating structure to enable it to deliver on the Government’s policy direction, and to generate a maximum return on investment for the funding allocated to it.

Business: Advertising

Holly Lynch: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what representations he has received from businesses on the enforcement of minor breaches of the Advertising Codes by the Advertising Standards Authority; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Edward Vaizey: I have received no representations from businesses on this issue.This Government supports the system of co-regulation and self-regulation, overseen by the independent Advertising Standards Authority and underpinned by consumer protection legislation. This regulatory system is independent of the Government and is ultimately responsible for setting the standards in advertising, ensuring that all adverts, wherever they appear, are legal, decent, honest and truthful.

World War I: Anniversaries

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what proportion of tickets for the Thiepval Memorial event on 1 July 2016 have been allocated to applicants from (a) England, (b) Scotland, (c) Wales and (d) Northern Ireland; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how many tickets to the Thiepval Memorial event on 1 July 2016 have been allocated to applicants from (a) England, (b) Scotland, (c) Wales and (d) Northern Ireland; and if he will make a statement.

Tracey Crouch: Tickets to the Commemorative Event at the Thiepval Memorial were allocated in pairs to residents of the UK via a random ballot, which gave no weighting to residents of a particular area of the UK.

World War I: Anniversaries

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what process was used for administering the ballot for tickets to the Thiepval Memorial event on 1 July 2016; whether observers were appointed to scrutinise that process; and if he will make a statement.

Tracey Crouch: Applicants were required to submit details online, or via a postal form, between 28 September and 18 November 2015. Once the ballot closed, a computer system randomly selected the successful applicants by their reference numbers - so that no weighting was added to any other factor such as geographic location or date of application.The ballot was administered by an external company, SEE Tickets, with previous experience of the managing ticketing and ballots for large scale events. No additional observers were involved in the draw process.

Department for Communities and Local Government

Refugees: Syria

John Pugh: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, which local authorities have received how many Syrian refugees.

Richard Harrington: My rt. hon. Friend, the Prime Minister announced on 16 December that we have delivered on the promise to resettle 1,000 vulnerable Syrian refugees before Christmas. We can also confirm that as of the beginning of December 2015, 55 local authorities across the UK had signed up to participate in the Syrian Vulnerable Persons Resettlement Scheme and made confirmed offers of places.In order to help protect the privacy of those arriving, we will not be giving a running commentary on location or numbers of persons resettled. Notwithstanding, the Home Office is committed to publishing data in an orderly way as part of the regular quarterly Immigration Statistics. The next set of figures will be in the quarterly release in February 2016 and will cover the period October-December 2015. This adheres to the standard practice for the release of information about the work of the Department, ensuring statistics are published properly in a way which is open and accessible to all.

Housing: Construction

Mr Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many homes have been built in (a) the Ribble Valley, (b) Lancashire and (c) England and Wales since January 2009.

Brandon Lewis: Statistics on new build housing starts and completions in the Ribble Valley, Lancashire, England and Wales are published on the Department's website at:http://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/live-tables-on-house-building

Sewers: Lancashire

Mr Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how much Lancashire County Council spent on cleaning drains and gullies in 2014-15.

Mr Marcus Jones: We do not collect information specifically on expenditure for cleaning drains and gullies, but do collect data on expenditure for ‘Land Drainage and Additional Works’ and ‘Street Cleansing’.These statistics are available for each local authority and are published online in the Revenue Outturn (RO5), which are available for 2014-15 at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/478713/Revenue_Outturn__RO5__data_2014-15_by_LA_-_19-Nov-2015.xls

Green Belt

Mr Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what his policy is on the priority that should be given to maintaining Green Belt land in Local Plans in areas where there is unmet housing need.

Brandon Lewis: Green Belt is protected by local authorities in line with national policy set out in the National Planning Policy Framework. The Framework states that permanence is an essential characteristic of Green Belt, and that a Green Belt boundary may be altered only in exceptional circumstances, using the Local Plan. Our supporting Guidance reminds local authorities that, in planning to meet their objectively assessed local housing needs, they must have due regard to national policies (including Green Belt policy) which indicate that development should be restricted and which may restrain the ability of an authority to meet all its needs. This applies even where there is no up-to-date Plan. It is for the Planning Inspector examining a revised Local Plan to determine whether it is based on sound evidence and in line with national policy.

Population: Greater London

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what forecast he has made of the change in population in each London borough up to 2030.

Mr Marcus Jones: The latest Office for National Statistics population projection for London Boroughs are included in the 2012-based Subnational Population Projections for England, which provide figures for years up to 2037. The projections are published at:http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/snpp/sub-national-population-projections/2012-based-projections/stb-2012-based-snpp.html#tab-Key-Points

Communities and Local Government: Staff

Liz Kendall: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many people of each gender work in his Department.

Brandon Lewis: The Department had 807 males (48%), and 877 females (52%) working in the Department as at 31 December 2015.

Wales Office

Railways: Wales

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, if his Department will work with the Welsh Government to ensure that the views of people in England affected by Welsh rail franchises are considered during the next franchise sale process.

Alun Cairns: We have an agreement in principle with the Welsh Government that executive franchising functions will be transferred to Welsh Ministers to enable them to lead on the procurement, management and enforcement of the next Wales and Borders franchise. To ensure proper accountability for passengers in England, it is expected that services primarily serving English markets will be remapped into other Department for Transport franchises and we will consult on specific proposals in due course.My officials, along with those from the Department for Transport, are working closely with the Welsh Government to reach final agreement on these matters to ensure that the interests of rail passengers on both sides of the border are fully protected.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Dogs: Animal Welfare

Angela Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will bring forward legislative proposals to ban the use of electric shock and prong collars for dogs before 2020.

George Eustice: An error has been identified in the written answer given on 11 January 2016.The correct answer should have been:

Currently, we are looking to include strict advice on the use of these devises in a revised version of the Code of Practice for the Welfare of Dogs. If the devices are used in compliance with the Code, it would only be as a last resort and on the advice of a veterinary surgeon or a suitably qualified behaviourist or dog trainer and by a competent operator. The Code could be adduced as evidence used in court in order to determine whether an animal welfare offence has been committed. The impact of the Code will be assessed and compliance with the Code closely monitored, before any decisions are taken on possible future legislative action.Currently, we are looking to include strict advice on the use of these devices in a revised version of the Code of Practice for the Welfare of Dogs. If the devices were to be used in compliance with an amended Code, it would only be as a last resort and on the advice of a veterinary surgeon or a suitably qualified behaviourist or dog trainer and by a competent operator. The revised Code could be adduced as evidence in court in order to determine whether an animal welfare offence has been committed. The impact of the revised Code will be assessed before any decisions are taken on possible future legislative action.

George Eustice: Currently, we are looking to include strict advice on the use of these devises in a revised version of the Code of Practice for the Welfare of Dogs. If the devices are used in compliance with the Code, it would only be as a last resort and on the advice of a veterinary surgeon or a suitably qualified behaviourist or dog trainer and by a competent operator. The Code could be adduced as evidence used in court in order to determine whether an animal welfare offence has been committed. The impact of the Code will be assessed and compliance with the Code closely monitored, before any decisions are taken on possible future legislative action.Currently, we are looking to include strict advice on the use of these devices in a revised version of the Code of Practice for the Welfare of Dogs. If the devices were to be used in compliance with an amended Code, it would only be as a last resort and on the advice of a veterinary surgeon or a suitably qualified behaviourist or dog trainer and by a competent operator. The revised Code could be adduced as evidence in court in order to determine whether an animal welfare offence has been committed. The impact of the revised Code will be assessed before any decisions are taken on possible future legislative action.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Information Officers

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many press and public relations staff are employed by (a) the Forestry Commission, (b) the Water Services Regulation Authority, (c) the Animal and Plant Health Agency, (d) the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science, (e) the Rural Payments Agency, (f) the Veterinary Medicines Directorate, (g) the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board, (h) the Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, (i) the Consumer Council for Water, (j) the Environment Agency, (k) the Joint Nature Conservation Committee, (l) the Marine Management Organisation, (m) the National Forest Company, (n) Natural England and (o) the Sea Fish Industry Authority; how many of those employees are paid more than (i) £50,000 and (ii) £100,000; and what the total expenditure was on press and public relations by each of those orqanisations in the most recent year for which figures are available.

George Eustice: Defra is in the midst of a corporate services and network transformation programme which is yielding significant reductions in communication staff. Our rigorous controls on communication spending are expected to save £1 million in 2015-2016. The detail requested will be placed in the Library of the House.

Housing: Floods

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to ensure that new homes built on flood plains are able to access affordable home insurance through the Flood Re programme.

Rory Stewart: The Flood Re Scheme is only available to properties built before 2009.This cut-off date recognises that new housing development should be located to avoid flood risk, or where development in a flood risk area is necessary, it should be designed to be safe, appropriately resilient to flooding and not increase flood risk elsewhere, in line with the national planning policies in place. This means properties built from 2009 should already be insurable at affordable prices.

White Fish: Fishing Catches

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of (a) the effect of measures announced at the December 2015 Fisheries and Agriculture Council on sea bass mortality in 2016 and (b) whether those measures will meet the 90 per cent quota reductions for 2016 recommended by the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea.

George Eustice: The UK’s top priority for the bass negotiations at December Council was to agree measures to allow us to achieve sustainable fishing at EU level by 2018, and the package agreed puts us on the right path to do so.The International Council for the Exploration of the Sea’s advice for bass in 2016 reflected its standard advice format for achieving the sustainable fishing standard the following year. The target year of 2018 agreed at the December Council for bass, however reflected the fact that the management of this stock through EU measures only began in 2015, which meant that it was necessary to take a more incremental approach, to reach sustainability in the fewest years realistically achievable.

Business: Insurance

Mr Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate she has made of the number of businesses in England and Wales without insurance in 2015.

Rory Stewart: We have made no assessment on the number of business without insurance in 2015.A survey of small and medium business enterprises (SMEs) commissioned by Defra in 2014 found that 3% of SMEs reported that they did not have commercial insurance. The survey is available on Defra’s website at the below:http://goo.gl/SqW3iG

House Insurance

Mr Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate she has made of the number of households in England and Wales without home insurance in 2015.

Rory Stewart: Defra-commissioned research carried out by Ipsos Mori in late 2014 found that 85% of those surveyed reported that they had insurance cover, whilst 14% reported that they did not. The research is available to view here: http://goo.gl/G9gqOV.We are taking action to protect people at the highest flood risk by making sure that everyone can access affordable flood insurance, regardless of where they live. Flood Re has now been set-up and is expected to begin operating in April this year. We have provided Flood Re with necessary powers to ensure that insurers provide affordable flood insurance to at-risk homeowners across the UK.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: European Union

Mr Bernard Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many staff in her Department are working on matters related to (a) European policy, (b) the future of Europe, (c) reform of the EU, (d) the renegotiation of the UK's relationship with the EU, (e) the EU referendum and (f) the consequences of the EU referendum; how many full-time equivalent staff are working on such matters; what the (i) staff and (ii) other cost of such work is; what proportion of that work is undertaken by such staff on (A) communications, (B) strategy and (C) policy; whether her Department has established any specific unit or units to deal with those matters; to whom such (1) staff and (2) units report; whether her Department has issued guidelines to staff on those matters; and if she will make a statement.

George Eustice: The Government is fighting hard to fix the aspects of our EU membership that cause so much frustration in Britain, to ensure we get a better deal for Britain and secure our future. Departments are appropriately resourced to support the Government's priorities in Europe, including the renegotiation and referendum.

National Flood Resilience Review

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what the work plan of the National Resilience Review is; and how often the Review team plans to meet.

Rory Stewart: Work has already started on the National Resilience Review, which is considering forecasting and modelling, resilience of key infrastructure and the way we make decisions on flood expenditure.The Review is being delivered by a cross-Government team and will be published in the summer. It will be led by the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, Oliver Letwin, and include the Government’s Chief Scientist, Defra, DECC, DCLG, HM Treasury and the Chief Executive of the Environment Agency.

Floods: EU Grants and Loans

Calum Kerr: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what plans her Department has for funding from the EU Solidarity Fund for relief payments for recent flooding.

Rory Stewart: We will consider all forms of support for those affected by the recent floods.However, the EU Solidarity Fund would not compensate for private losses. It would take several months to receive the majority of the funds, and only provides for a fraction of the total costs of assessed damage. The Government’s priority has been to act quickly and deal with the urgent needs of those affected.This is why the Government is providing nearly £200 million of additional aid to support those affected by the floods in England.

Flood Control

Mr Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent discussions she has had with local authorities on their duties to ensure landowners clear ditches adjacent to their own land as a means of reducing flood risk.

Rory Stewart: Landowners are responsible for maintaining the bed and banks of watercourses on their land, and for clearing obstructions to the flow of water.Internal Drainage Boards (IDBs) and Lead Local Flood Authorities (LLFAs) have powers under the Land Drainage Act 1991 to require the relevant landowners to maintain the flow of a watercourse.The Environment Agency, exercising its strategic oversight responsibilities, works closely with IDBs and LLFAs to ensure they are managing local flood risk effectively.

Land Drainage

Mr Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent discussions she has had with the Environment Agency on the condition of the national drainage system.

Rory Stewart: The Environment Agency and Defra work closely with the water industry to support the development of resilient drainage systems.

Rivers: Dredging

Mr Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what her policy is on river dredging as a means of reducing flood risk.

Rory Stewart: The Government’s flood risk management work focuses on where it delivers the greatest flood risk benefit to people and property. Dredging and other kinds of conveyance work form an important part of the Environment Agency’s maintenance regime. The effectiveness of dredging in managing flood risk varies substantially for each stretch of river. The Environment Agency is spending a total of £21m on dredging in 2014/15 and 2015/16.

Environment Agency: Staff

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what projection she has made of the number of full-time equivalent staff working in the Environment Agency in each year until 2020.

George Eustice: There are no firm projections over the next 5 years of the number of full-time equivalent staff working in the Environment Agency. Formal budgets have not yet been allocated for 2016/17 to 2020/21.

Flood Control

Mr Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how much the Government spent on creating flood prevention schemes since 2007.

Rory Stewart: Government funding on flood and coastal erosion risk management is available in the ‘Central Government Funding for Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management in England’ document. This is available in the link below.https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/480527/Funding_for_Flood_and_Coastal_Erosion_in_England_Dec_2015.pdfThis document sets out both capital and resource expenditure from 2005.

Flood Control: Per Capita Costs

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to her article of 30 December 2015 in the Yorkshire Post, what the evidential basis is for the statement that the Government is investing £54 per person on flood defences in Yorkshire, Lancashire and Cumbria, the East Midlands and Northumbria, and £42 per person in the South East.

Rory Stewart: The figures on which the statement is based represent the total amount of Government Grant in Aid for flood and coastal erosion risk management in the Environment Agency regions stated between 2015/16 – 2020/21, divided by the total population of those regions.

Imports: Palestinians

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many marketing standards conformity checks for consignments of fresh fruit and vegetables exported to the UK by Israel have not been accepted on the grounds that the products in those consignments originated in the Occupied Palestinian Territories in each of the last five years.

George Eustice: Defra does not hold this information.

Imports: Palestinians

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate she has made of the (a) number and (b) proportion of goods imported into the UK labelled as products of Israel that are from the Occupied Palestinian Territories.

George Eustice: The information requested is not held by Defra. No estimate of these statistics has been produced.

Imports: Palestinians

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what proportion of fruit and vegetables imported into the UK have postcodes that show that the produce originated from the Occupied Palestinian Territories.

George Eustice: The information requested is not held by Defra. No estimate has been produced of this proportion.

Imports: Palestinians

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what marketing standards conformity checks are applied to produce from settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territories.

George Eustice: All fruit and vegetables must meet the EU marketing standards in Regulation 543/2011. These standards require that fruit and vegetables which are intended to be sold fresh to the consumer may only be marketed if they are of sound, fair and marketable quality and if the country of origin is indicated. Horticultural Marketing Inspectors carry out the same processes and procedures for fruit and vegetables regardless of origin.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: UK Membership of EU

Stephen Gethins: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to prepare for the outcome of the EU referendum.

George Eustice: The Government is fighting hard to fix the aspects of our EU membership that cause so much frustration in Britain - so we get a better deal for Britain and secure our future. The Government is focused on delivering a successful renegotiation: it believes it can and will succeed in reforming and renegotiating our relationship with the EU.

HM Treasury

VAT: Tourism

Richard  Arkless: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will reduce the rate of VAT on tourism.

Mr David Gauke: The Government currently has no plans to alter the rates of VAT relating to the tourist industry.I refer the Rt Hon gentleman to my comments during the Westminster Hall debate on 17th March 2015.

Revenue and Customs: East Kilbride

Dr Lisa Cameron: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment his Department has made of the effect of HM Revenue and Customs office closures on the local economy in East Kilbride.

Mr David Gauke: HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) has a large and long-established presence in Scotland. The Department announced in November its decision to significantly invest in Scotland by creating two Regional Centres in Glasgow and Edinburgh, employing up to 6,300 staff. As part of those transformation plans, HMRC is planning to remain in East Kilbride until 2025-26.

Social Services: Minimum Wage

Emily Thornberry: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 3 November 2014 to Question 211605, how many and what proportion of initial enquiries by HM Revenue and Customs, which sought confirmation that arrears had been paid to workers following enforcement action due to non-payment of the national minimum wage, were unable to confirm that the requisite arrears had been paid in full in each of the last six years.

Mr David Gauke: The Government is committed to increasing compliance with minimum wage legislation and effective enforcement of it. Everyone who is entitled to the minimum wage should receive it. Employers who pay workers less than the minimum wage not only have to pay back arrears of wages at current minimum wage rates but also face financial penalties of up to £20,000 per underpaid worker. HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) does not keep data in a format to enable provision of the information requested. To reiterate the answer provided to UIN 211605, HMRC will pursue non-payment of arrears through civil recovery action.

Charities: Females

Fiona Bruce: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to paragraph 1.144 of the Spending Review and Autumn Statement 2015, how women's charities can apply for some of the £15 million annual fund.

Greg Hands: Bids and nominations for donations from the sanitary products VAT women’s charities fund can be submitted to HM Treasury by letter. The letter should set out the amount being sought and detail what it would fund. All representations will be given full consideration ahead of Budget 2016, and further rounds of donations will follow at future fiscal events. The fund will continue to run over the course of this Parliament or until the UK can apply a zero rate of VAT on sanitary products.

National Insurance: EEA Nationals

Chris Heaton-Harris: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the total number is of national insurance numbers registered to EEA nationals and linked to (a) an active claim for benefits, (b) an active claim for tax credits and (c) active payments under PAYE; and how many in each such category are for EEA nationals who received national insurance numbers in the last four years.

Mr David Gauke: The Department for Work and Pensions has published statistics on National Insurance number (NINo) allocations, including nationality at point of NINo registration, of those of working age who were in receipt of a Department for Work and Pensions administered benefits. This is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/national-insurance-number-allocations-to-adult-overseas-nationals-entering-the-ukHM Revenue and Customs are planning to publish further information early in 2016 once it has been properly collated.

Minimum Wage

Tulip Siddiq: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the Answers of 6 May 2014 to Question 197359, 12 September 2014 to Questions 205613 and 218085, and pursuant to the Answer of 26 November 2015 to Question 16851, (a) under what circumstances HM Revenue and Customs identify non-compliance with minimum wage enforcement without (i) recovering arrears in unpaid wages from workers and (ii) issuing penalties to employers, (b) what mechanisms are in place to ensure that an employer for whom non-compliance has been identified has paid back minimum wage arrears without the need for a penalty to be issued or fine to be imposed, (c) how much money in unpaid wages was identified following HM Revenue and Customs investigations in each year since 2009-10 and (d) how many employers agreed to pay all arrears following a finding on non-compliance before a penalty was issued in each year since 2009-10.

Mr David Gauke: The Government is determined that everyone who is entitled to the National Minimum Wage (NMW) receives it. Anyone who feels they have been underpaid NMW should contact the confidential Acas helpline on 0300 123 1100. HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) review all complaints that are referred to them. Non-compliant employers are issued with a Notice of Underpayment (NOU) detailing the arrears they owe workers and the penalty due. The employer will pay the arrears directly to the worker and the penalty to the Government. HMRC takes steps to ensure that workers receive the arrears to which they are entitled; I refer the honourable member to the answer provided at UIN 211605 on the action taken by HMRC where arrears are identified. A penalty will be issued on the NOU except in exceptional circumstances. To encourage voluntary compliance, where an employer has identified non-compliance outside of an HMRC investigation and notified of their intention to self-correct and pay arrears, for example through HMRC’s NMW Campaign in the hair and beauty sector, HMRC will not impose a penalty. For information on arrears identified, I refer the honourable member back to the answer provided at UIN 16851.

Welfare Tax Credits

Paul Blomfield: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what proportion of tax credit recipients had their credits withdrawn when their children progressed into post-16 education in each of the last five financial years.

Damian Hinds: No Child Tax Credit (CTC) claimants should have had their award ended as a consequence of their child progressing into post-16 education provided they continue to meet the qualifying conditions for CTC and their child is in full-time, non-advanced education, as prescribed in the relevant regulations.

Financial Institutions: Visas

Alison Thewliss: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what discussions his Department had with financial institutions prior to the introduction of new rules for Tier 1 Entrepreneur visas in January 2013.

Harriett Baldwin: The government has regular discussions with financial institutions on a number of issues, both prior and since January 2013.

EEA Nationals: National Insurance

Michael Fabricant: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many non-British EEA nationals with a National Insurance number who arrived in the UK prior to four years ago (a) paid National Insurance contributions, (b) paid PAYE income tax and (c) claimed benefits or tax credits in the last year.

Michael Fabricant: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many non-British EEA nationals with a National Insurance number who arrived in each of the last four years (a) paid National Insurance contributions, (b) paid PAYE income tax and (c) claimed benefits or tax credits in the last year.

Mr David Gauke: Calculating the number of individuals who were paying PAYE income tax and National Insurance contributions who were citizens of the EEA when they first registered for a National Insurance Number is complex and cannot be done quickly. However, HM Revenue and Customs are planning to produce further information early in 2016 on this issue, once it has been properly collated.

Small Businesses: Taxation

Ms Tasmina Ahmed-Sheikh: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what discussions his Department has had with organisations representing small businesses on plans for introducing quarterly tax returns.

Ms Tasmina Ahmed-Sheikh: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of savings to businesses of his Department's plans to introduce quarterly tax returns for businesses.

Jim Shannon: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what discussions he has had with organisations representing self-employed people on the potential effect on such people of implementing quarterly tax returns from 2020.

Mr David Gauke: The Government has no plans to introduce quarterly tax returns for business. The Government is introducing simple, secure and personalised digital tax accounts, removing the need for annual tax returns. Updating HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) through software or apps will deliver a light-touch process, much less burdensome and time-consuming than it is today.The Government will consult on the details of these proposals throughout 2016 and will publish a Tax Information and Impact Note (TIIN) in the usual way. This will include an estimate of the impacts on business. The Government routinely publish TIINs for tax policy changes when the policy detail for those changes is finalised or near-finalised.HMRC has discussed these reforms with a range of professional bodies and advisory groups representing small businesses and the self-employed. HMRC has also engaged extensively with a range of professional bodies and other stakeholders representing the accountancy profession.On 14 December 2015, HMRC set out details of its plans at its annual stakeholder conference, which was attended by a large number of different organisations representing small businesses.

Tax Evasion

Kelvin Hopkins: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many evasion referrals to the HM Revenue and Customs Evasion Referral Team were made by the taskforces established to crack down on tax evasion and tax avoidance in each tax year since 2012-13; and how many such referrals were adopted as working cases by the HM Revenue and Customs (a) Criminal Investigation, (b) Specialist Investigation and (c) Local Compliance Fraud business unit.

Mr David Gauke: Local Compliance Fraud merged with Specialist Investigation in 2015/16. Later that year Specialist Investigation then merged with Criminal Investigation to form one directorate, the Fraud Investigation Service (FIS). The figures for referrals to FIS are in the following table:YearTaskforce Referrals MadeAdopted by FIS2012/13336522013/145981452014/15596276The referrals are made by HMRC officers when they suspect or discover evasion. The process is designed to escalate this type of case to a specialist team for review. If the case is not adopted by one of these teams it is returned to the referring officer to continue the investigation.

Tax Evasion

Kelvin Hopkins: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many evasion referrals were made to the HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) Evasion Referral Team in each year since 2012-13; and how many such referrals were adopted as working cases by HMRC's (a) Criminal Investigation, (b) Specialist Investigation and (c) Local Compliance Fraud business unit in each such year.

Mr David Gauke: The figures requested are in the following table:YearReferrals madeAdopted CIAdopted SIAdopted LC Fraud2012/1328883321222252013/1432983873002172014/152749374146129The referrals are made by HMRC officers when they suspect or discover evasion. The process is designed to escalate this type of case to a specialist team for review. If the case is not adopted by one of these teams it is returned to the referring officer to continue the investigation.

Welfare Tax Credits

Frank Field: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many claimants of (a) working tax credit and (b) child tax credit have had their claims (i) stopped and (ii) suspended while HM Revenue and Customs processed a change in household circumstances in the last 12 months.

Mr David Gauke: HM Revenue and Customs do not hold the requested data.

Banks

John Mann: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will place in the Library the unpublished 2015 reports produced by the Financial Conduct Authority in 2015 on banking culture.

Harriett Baldwin: The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) is an independent regulator. It is responsible for determining what information it publishes and when it is published, subject to statutory requirements. The Treasury will lay before Parliament any FCA reports or other documents which the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 requires to be laid before Parliament.

Sanitary Protection: VAT

Toby Perkins: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps he is taking at EU level to make sanitary products exempt from VAT.

Mr David Gauke: I have, following the recent Parliamentary debate on this issue, written to the European Commission and other Member States setting out our strong view that Member States should have full discretion over what rate of VAT they can apply to these products, and that this should be considered in the context of the Commission’s Action Plan on VAT initiatives. That Action Plan is now expected to emerge in March 2016.

Public Sector: Pay

Kelvin Hopkins: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what provision his Department has made for public sector employers to pay the (a) national living wage, (b) 3.4 per cent increase in Secondary National Insurance Contributions (NICs) from 2016-17 following the abolition of Contracted Out NICs and (c) Apprenticeship Levy.

Greg Hands: It is the responsibility of each Department to ensure they have sufficient funding available to cover any additional costs associated with either the National Living Wage, the 3.4 per cent increase in Secondary National Insurance Contributions (NICs) from 2016-17, or the apprenticeship levy. HM Treasury has only made provision for the costs that it will incur in respect of its own staff as a result of these changes.

Financial Services: Advisory Services

John Mann: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will place in the Library the report recently concluded by the Financial Conduct Authority on retail investment advice.

Harriett Baldwin: HM Treasury has no knowledge of a recent report concluded by the FCA on retail investment advice. If the Honourable Member is referring to the recent Financial Advice Market Review, which was a joint initiative by HM Treasury and the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) launched in August 2015, this review has not yet concluded.The Treasury will lay before Parliament any FCA reports or other documents which the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 requires to be laid before Parliament.

Personal Savings: Interest Rates

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will discuss with the Financial Conduct Authority the effect of the savings products offered by providers with almost zero interest rates on people with savings.

Harriett Baldwin: In January 2015, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) published its Cash Savings Market Study report, which found that competition in the cash savings market was not working well for many consumers. In response, the FCA has consulted on and will subsequently be introducing new rules from 1 December 2016 designed to improve competition by encouraging easier and quicker switching and improving the information savers receive.These new rules will require firms to provide key information in a product summary box at point of sale and to be clear on what interest rate consumers are getting. The FCA will also introduce a new rule which requires firms to provide a prompt and efficient service so that a customer can switch to a better account offered by the same firm.

Taxation: Self-assessment

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps are being taken to ensure the maximum number of people meet the 31 January 2016 deadline for providing their tax returns.

Mr David Gauke: The vast majority of Self Assessment customers complete their returns on time (92% last year).This year, HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) is sending millions of targeted emails and texts to remind customers to submit their return by 31 January, for instance to customers who missed the deadline last year or those who are new to Self Assessment. Alongside this, HMRC is running a national marketing campaign to remind customers of the 31 January deadline. Support is available to those who need it as HMRC is putting hundreds of extra people on its helplines during this very busy period, and has introduced new support channels like webchat and online video guidance.

Non-domestic Rates: Industry

Seema Malhotra: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will take steps in the business rates review to make specific provision for energy intensive industries.

Seema Malhotra: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will take steps in the business rates review to make specific provision for manufacturing industries.

Seema Malhotra: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will take steps in the business rates review to make specific provision for the retail industry.

Mr David Gauke: The Government is considering the impact of business rates on all business sectors including energy intensive industries, manufacturing industries and the retail industry as part of the business rates review. The review will be fiscally neutral and will report at Budget 2016.

Tax Avoidance: Self-employed

Rob Marris: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, when the Government will publish its response to the discussion document on Intermediaries Legislation (IR35).

Mr David Gauke: The discussion period closed on 30 September and the Government will announce next steps in due course.

Revenue and Customs: ICT

Sir David Amess: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will increase the budget for IT contractors employed by HM Revenue and Customs.

Mr David Gauke: The Government is investing £1.3bn to transform HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) into one of the most digitally advanced tax administrations in the world. Along with other changes, this will enable HMRC to transition to a new IT delivery model following the ending of the Aspire contract. Through these changes, HMRC will be able to make savings on its annual IT budget.

Illegal Money Lending Team

Mr Roger Godsiff: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make it his policy to maintain current levels of funding for the National Illegal Money Lending Team.

Mr Roger Godsiff: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 15 December 2015 by the Minister for Skills, Official Report, column 1401, if he will introduce a levy to continue to fund action against loan sharks by the National Illegal Money Lending Team.

Harriett Baldwin: The Government is looking at a range of ways to ensure that the England and Wales Illegal Money Lending Teams have the funding they need to ensure that consumers continue to be protected from illegal loan sharks.

Taxation: Self-assessment

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the change has been in the numbers of people who missed the 31 January deadline for making their tax return between 2010 and 2015.

Mr David Gauke: Information on the number of taxpayers who missed the 31st January deadline for making their tax return between 2010 and 2015 is available in the following table:Filing Deadline31 Jan 201031 Jan 201131 Jan 201231 Jan 201331 Jan 201431 Jan 2015Tax Return Year Counted2008-092009-102010-112011/122012/132013/14Issued9.7m10m10.5m10.34m (3)10.74m (2)11.13mFiled on-time by 31 Jan8.57m8.64m9.45m9.61m (3)10.03m (2)10.24m (1)% Filed on-time88%86%90.4%92.9% (3)93.4% (2)92.0%% Outstanding at 31 Jan12%14%9.6%7.1% (3)6.6% (2)8%

Individual Savings Accounts

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the change has been in the numbers of people contributing to stock and share ISAs in the last three years.

Mr David Gauke: The information requested can be found in HM Revenue and Customs published National Statistics, available here:2010-11: http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20131210211502/https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/number-of-individuals-subscribing-to-an-individual-savings-account-isa-by-income2011-12: http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20140506181329/https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/number-of-individuals-subscribing-to-an-individual-savings-account-isa-by-income2012-13: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/number-of-individuals-subscribing-to-an-individual-savings-account-isa-by-income Figures for 2013-14 and 2014-15 will be published in April 2016 and April 2017 respectively.

Working Tax Credit

Mr Christopher Chope: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether it is the policy of the Government that a written contract of employment is prerequisite to making a claim for working tax credit; and if he will make a statement.

Damian Hinds: A written contract of employment is not a prerequisite of a claim for working tax credit.

Department for Energy and Climate Change

Mobile Homes: Energy

Mr Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, when she plans to publish a response to the consultation carried out by her Department between July and September 2014 into energy issues affecting park homes including energy supply and use of the application of energy efficiency measures.

Andrea Leadsom: The Department for Energy and Climate Change has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Department of Energy and Climate Change: Staff

Liz Kendall: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, how many people of each gender work in her Department.

Andrea Leadsom: The table below shows the number of people (headcount) working in the Department of Energy and Climate Change and its agency, the Oil and Gas Authority, as at 31 December 2015. Civil Servants include those on loan into the Department from other Government Departments. Non Civil Servant figures include contractors, agency staff, consultants and secondments into the Department. Data has been extracted from the HR database.GenderCivil ServantsNon Civil ServantsMale852102Female74050Total1592152

Technology

Julie Elliott: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, whether it is Government policy to attain technology neutrality; and what progress has been made towards that objective.

Andrea Leadsom: We want to see a competitive electricity market, with Government out of the way as much as possible, by 2025. As we move towards this model we need to get the right balance between supporting new technologies and being tough on subsidies. The Government has announced a doubling of DECC’s innovation programme to £500 million which will be focused on technologies that have the potential to scale up and compete in a global market without support. In parallel, the Government has also proposed measures to control subsidies for onshore wind and solar. Subsidies should be temporary, as only when different technologies face their full costs can we achieve a more competitive market.Government should enable, not dictate. The market should lead our choices.We want a consumer-led, competition-focused energy system that has energy security at the heart of it and delivers for families and businesses.

Private Rented Housing: Energy

Dr   Poulter: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, pursuant to the Answer of 14 December 2015 to Question 19268, what financial penalties and other mechanisms are available to ensure that all private rented sector landlords improve their properties to a minimum energy efficiency rating of E from April 2018.

Andrea Leadsom: The requirement on private rented sector landlords to improve their properties to a minimum energy efficiency rating of E from April 2018, subject to certain exemptions, will be enforced by individual local authorities. The Energy Efficiency (Private Rented Property)(England and Wales) Regulations 2015 empower local authorities to enforce the provisions, including the power to impose compliance and penalty notices. Authorities will be able fine landlords up to £5,000 per property if they fail to comply with a compliance notice relating to a breach.Landlords who qualify for an exemption to meeting the minimum standard will be required to provide details to a centrally held register. Exemptions will be valid for a period of five years, after which time the landlord will once again need to try to improve the energy efficiency rating of the property. The register will be accessible to Local Authorities (and the general public) and will be audited by Local Authorities or DECC.

Cabinet Office

Cabinet Papers

Louise Haigh: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, when he plans to release Cabinet papers for the 1986-1988 period to the National Archives.

Matthew Hancock: An error has been identified in the written answer given on 07 January 2016.The correct answer should have been:

Cabinet papers for the period 1986-1989 1988have already been transferred to the National Archives. Transparency is at the heart of this Government's agenda and we are publishing unprecedented amounts of information.

Matthew Hancock: Cabinet papers for the period 1986-1989 1988have already been transferred to the National Archives. Transparency is at the heart of this Government's agenda and we are publishing unprecedented amounts of information.

Age UK: Wirral

Frank Field: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether he plans to extend central government funding for Age UK Wirral beyond April 2016.

Mr Rob Wilson: As far as we have been able to ascertain Age UK Wirral has not received direct funding from central government during the financial year 2015/16.

Cabinet Office: Staff

Liz Kendall: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many people of each gender work in his Department.

Matthew Hancock: Information about the diversity of the workforce in the Cabinet Office, including gender, is published on the Cabinet Office website and is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/cabinet-office/about/equality-and-diversityunder the heading Equality Information. As of 31 March 2015 there were 1,132 female (51%) and 1,109 male (49%) staff in post.

Life Expectancy

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the average life expectancy was for (a) the total population, (b) women, (c) men in (i) the UK and (ii) each London borough in each year since 2010.

Mr Rob Wilson: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.



Letter Attachment to Member 
(Excel SpreadSheet, 54 KB)




UKSA Letter to Member - Average Life Expectancy
(PDF Document, 69.98 KB)

Zero Hours Contracts

Mr Stephen Hepburn: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many people have been employed on a zero-hours contract in (a) Jarrow constituency, (b) South Tyneside, (c) the North East and (d) the UK in each year since 2008.

Mr Rob Wilson: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.



UKSA Letter to Member - Employment on Zero Hour
(PDF Document, 280.42 KB)

Employment: Public Sector

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what estimate he has made of the change in the proportion of the working age population employed by the public sector in (a) England, (b) Wales, (c) Scotland and (d) Northern Ireland between 2010 and 2015.

Mr Rob Wilson: An error has been identified in the written answer given on 11 January 2016.The correct answer should have been:

The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.



UKSA Letter to Member - Working Age Population
(PDF Document, 64.74 KB)




Table for Member
(Excel SpreadSheet, 12.51 KB)

Mr Rob Wilson: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.



UKSA Letter to Member - Working Age Population
(PDF Document, 64.74 KB)




Table for Member
(Excel SpreadSheet, 12.51 KB)

Universal Credit

Ms Margaret Ritchie: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the most recent assessment of progress in the roll-out of the universal credit programme by the Infrastructure and Project Authority is.

Matthew Hancock: The most recent assessment of Universal Credit was set out in the MPA Annual Report 2015, published in spring 2015. This is available at: (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/major-projects-authority-annual-report-2015)The 2016 Report will be published in due course.

Electoral Register

Mr Nigel Evans: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many people in England were registered to vote at the end of (a) 2014 and (b) 2015.

Mr Rob Wilson: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.



UKSA Letter to Member - Registered to Vote
(PDF Document, 127.86 KB)

Unemployment: North East

Mr Stephen Hepburn: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many people have been unemployed in (a) Jarrow constituency, (b) South Tyneside and (c) the North East in each year since 2008.

Mr Stephen Hepburn: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many people have been unemployed on a part-time basis in (a) Jarrow constituency, (b) South Tyneside, (c) the North East and (d) the UK in each year since 2008.

Mr Stephen Hepburn: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many people have been employed on a full-time basis in (a) Jarrow constituency, (b) South Tyneside, (c) the North East and (d) the UK in each year since 2008.

Mr Stephen Hepburn: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many people have been employed in (a) Jarrow constituency, (b) South Tyneside, (c) the North East and (d) the UK in each year since 2008.

Mr Rob Wilson: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.



UKSA Letter to Member - Employment / Unemployment
(PDF Document, 134.67 KB)

House of Commons Commission

Palace of Westminster: Offices

John Mann: To ask the hon. Member for Carshalton and Wallington representing the House of Commons Commission, how many members of (a) the House of Commons and (b) the House of Lords have offices within the historic core of the Palace of Westminster.

Tom Brake: 193 Members of the House of Commons have their offices located in the Palace of Westminster. Provision of offices for Peers is not a matter for the Commission but is the responsibility of the House of Lords.

Department of Health

Hepatitis

Mr Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many patients have started treatment under NHS England's commissioning policy for the treatment of cirrhosis in adults with hepatitis C.

Jane Ellison: At 10 November 2015, NHS England had received 2,667 applications to treat from clinicians. Applications relate to patients who either meet NHS England’s commissioning policy for the treatment of hepatitis C patients with cirrhosis or who meet the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence Technology Appraisal guidance for sofosbuvir and simeprevir. The number of applications is likely to be slightly higher than the number starting treatment, as some patients may have decided not to proceed. NHS England expects to have an automated system in place by April 2016 to collect data on treatment referrals and treatment history, including clinical outcome data.

Liver Diseases

Mr Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how much has been spent on NHS England's commissioning policy for the treatment of cirrhosis in adults with hepatitis C.

Jane Ellison: NHS England is not in a position to confirm spend to date on the treatment of cirrhosis in adults with hepatitis C. The overall spend will be impacted by the commercial in confidence agreements that are in place with a number of pharmaceutical companies as well as confirmation that patients treated have completed their course. NHS England will be in a position to confirm overall spend on hepatitis C as a result of the commissioning policy and National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidance at the end of the financial year.

Care Homes: Standards

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if his Department will research the causes of systemic failure at private care homes run by the same provider.

Alistair Burt: The Department is working in partnership with local authorities, the Care Quality Commission (CQC) and the provider sector to understand the viability of the care home sector as a whole, including any issues that may be affecting a care home provider’s ability to deliver quality services at any of the locations in which it operates.The Department receives inspection reports of all adult social care providers from the CQC. These reports state publicly why a service may be rated as Inadequate. In addition, the CQC’s annual State of Care report summarises issues across the entire care sector, from which lessons can be and are drawn, including those concerning providers with more than one home.Since 1 April 2015, any service rated Inadequate by the CQC has been placed in special measures. Such services will have six months to improve. If they fail to do so, their registration may be cancelled and they will exit the market. If they show significant improvement after six months, they will have a further six months to demonstrate that they can maintain that improvement. If they do, they will leave special measures. If they do not, they will exit the market.People can be confident that there is now a strict time limit under which providers must improve or cease to operate.The CQC will continue use its full range of enforcement powers, including removing providers immediately from the market if necessary. It will also use the special measures system to help tackle those services which, whilst not being so poor as to warrant immediate closure, have ratings that vary continually between Inadequate and Requires Improvement.

Nurses

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will ensure that records of the training history of the nurses convicted at Nursing and Midwifery Council hearings are kept on the same basis as such data in such cases by the General Medical Council.

Ben Gummer: The Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) is the independent regulator of nurses and midwives in the United Kingdom. The NMC is responsible for delivery of its statutory functions including maintaining a register of all nurses and midwives eligible to work in the UK and for pursuing fitness to practise investigations against its registrants in the interests of public protection.On each of the NMC and General Medical Council (GMC) websites there is a facility to search the professional registers and to check the registration status of a registrant. Where an NMC registrant has been struck-off the register, their record is removed from the register and they would not be found on a register search. However, the NMC does publish information about fitness to practise (FtP) allegations, hearings, outcomes and sanctions elsewhere on its website in accordance with its FtP publication and disclosure policy. Where a GMC registrant is erased from the medical register, their record remains and could be found in a register search with details of the FtP sanction.It is a matter for the regulators themselves to determine how they manage their publication and disclosure policy in relation to fitness to practice, within the legislative frameworks in which they operate.

Hepatitis

Tom Pursglove: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many people who were infected with hepatitis C due to contaminated blood products supplied by the NHS have attained sustained virological response following treatment for the infection.

Jane Ellison: Information on the numbers of people with hepatitis C through NHS-supplied blood or blood products who have attained sustained virological response following treatment for the infection is not held centrally. NHS England’s commissioning policy is for the treatment of patients based on clinical need, not on the route of infection.All patients who meet the policy criteria, including those infected through NHS-supplied blood or blood products, are eligible for the new hepatitis C treatments. This will be dependent upon the individual patient’s hepatitis C genotype and cirrhosis status.

Hepatitis

Sir David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many people with hepatitis C have commenced treatment under the commissioning policy for the treatment of patients with cirrhosis since June 2015.

Jane Ellison: At 10 November 2015, NHS England had received 2,667 applications to treat from clinicians. Applications relate to patients who either meet NHS England’s commissioning policy for the treatment of hepatitis C patients with cirrhosis or who meet the NICE Technology Appraisal guidance for sofosbuvir and simeprevir. The number of applications is likely to be slightly higher than the number starting treatment, as some patients may have decided not to proceed. NHS England expects to have an automated system in place by April 2016 to collect data on treatment referrals and treatment history, including clinical outcome data.

Personal, Social, Health and Economic Education

Dr Sarah Wollaston: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Education on the Chief Medical Officer's recommendations that PSHE education be made a routine part of children's education.

Jane Ellison: The Chief Medical Officer’s Annual Report for 2012, Our Children Deserve Better (published October 2013) included a recommendation that: ‘Public Health England, the PSHE Association and other leading organisations in the field should review the evidence linking health and wellbeing with educational attainment, and from that promote models of good practice for educational establishments to use.’There was no recommendation as such that Personal, Social and Health Education be made routine or mandatory in schools; however the Department for Education is working with a group of head teachers and experts to improve the quality of PSHE.The Department of Health’s Framework for Sexual Health Improvement in England (2013) sets out our objectives and ambitions to improve the sexual health of all people, including young people. For young people the Framework highlights the importance of: building knowledge and resilience through good-quality sex and relationship education; access to confidential advice and support about wellbeing, relationships and sexual health; understanding consent (including sexual consent and abusive relationships), and understanding the benefits of delaying sex.

Perinatal Mortality

Emma Reynolds: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether those who have suffered the loss of a child at birth under the current litigation regime will still be able to claim compensation under a fixed recoverable costs regime.

Ben Gummer: The Department is currently preparing to go out to public consultation on the introduction of Fixed Recoverable Costs (FRC) for clinical negligence claims.We can confirm there are no plans to limit the amount of damages awarded for clinical negligence claims and so parties will still be able to claim compensation under a FRC regime.

Blood: Contamination

Rebecca Long Bailey: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether he expects to spend the £25 million funding for ex gratia payments to victims of contaminated blood in the 2015-16 financial year.

Jane Ellison: The £25 million, announced by the Prime Minister in March 2015 to support transition to a reformed scheme, will remain available in 2016-17. We are assessing what can be allocated above and beyond that. We expect to announce our plans for that money once we have a better understanding of what wider scheme reform might comprise following the outcome of consultation.

Blood: Contamination

Rebecca Long Bailey: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether the departmental settlement for his Department for this Spending Review period included any specific allocation of funds for ex gratia payments to victims of contaminated blood in future financial years.

Rebecca Long Bailey: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether he has allocated any funding for ex gratia payments to victims of contaminated blood for the 2016-17 financial year.

Jane Ellison: The £25 million, announced by the Prime Minister in March 2015 to support transition to a reformed scheme, will remain available in 2016-17. We are assessing what can be allocated above and beyond that. We expect to announce our plans for that money once we have a better understanding of what wider scheme reform might comprise following the outcome of consultation.

Mental Health: Homelessness

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 1 December 2015 to Question 18011, when he plans to announce the successful bids for the Homelessness Change/Platform for Life programme.

Jane Ellison: The results of the Homelessness Change/Platform for Life programme bidding process were announced on 22 December 2015. Bids worth £42.1 million were awarded for 14 projects in London and 60 in the rest of England. The programme runs for two years – from 2015-16 to 2016-17.A list of the successful bids is attached.



List of successful London bids 2015-16/2016-17
(Word Document, 22.1 KB)




2015-17 Homelessness Change allocations
(Excel SpreadSheet, 20.65 KB)




Platform for life allocations
(Excel SpreadSheet, 19.62 KB)

Offences against Children: East of England

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will publish the recent review into the provision of services for children who have experienced sexual abuse in the East of England; and if he will make a statement.

Jane Ellison: It is not clear which review the hon. Member is referring to. However, a review was recently published concerning Myles Bradbury, the paediatrician, who was convicted for sexually abusing 18 boys in his care at hospitals in East Anglia. The independent review, commissioned by Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust into the abuses, was published in October 2015. A copy of the report, titled Independent investigation into governance arrangements in the paediatric haematology and oncology service at Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust following the Myles Bradbury case, is available on the Trust’s website at the following link:http://www.cuh.org.uk/news/cuh-response-independent-myles-bradbury-report.The NHS Trust is responsible for achieving the recommendations of the Review. NHS England, which is accountable for safeguarding in the National Health Service, has put in place an action plan to support local and national implementation, appointed a senior clinician to facilitate this and have set up four regional events to disseminate the learning.

Accident and Emergency Departments: Mental Illness

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many accident and emergency attendances, excluding planned attendances, with a diagnosis of a psychiatric condition had a duration to departure of more than four hours for (a) ages 0 to 17 years and (b) over 18 years in each month of 2015.

Alistair Burt: Information on the number of accident and emergency (A&E) attendances for patients aged 0 to 17 years and 18 years and over, where the primary diagnosis was a psychiatric condition and the duration to departure was more than four hours, is available from the Health and Social Care Information Centre’s Hospital Episode Statistics. This information is shown in the table below, and covers the period from January 2015 to September 2015.The data for April 2015 onwards are provisional and subject to change. To put these figures in context, between January and September 2015 there were a total of 14,067,275 attendances at A&E departments in England. The latest provisional published data available are for September 2015. 2015Number of A&E attendances with a duration to departure of more than four hours, where the primary diagnosis was a psychiatric conditionMonth0 - 17 years18 years and overJanuary1841,934February1751,911March2542,095April (provisional)1922,204May (provisional)1862,064June (provisional)2162,087July (provisional)2002,090August (provisional)1542,298September (provisional)2372,216Source: Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), Health and Social Care Information CentreNotes:1. The recording of the diagnosis code in the A&E data set is not mandatory. It is not known to what extent changes over time are as a result of improvements in recording practice.2. These figures do not include patients who may have a psychiatric condition, but whose attendance at A&E was prompted by a different reason.3. The data cannot be described as an average number of people as the same person may have had more than one A&E attendance within the time period presented.4. The data excludes planned follow-up attendances.To put these figures in context, between January and September 2015 there were a total of 14,067,275 attendances at A&E departments in England.

Railways: Suicide

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 17 December 2015 to Question 20083, what steps he plans to take to tackle the rise in the number of people who took their own life on the rail network since 2010.

Alistair Burt: Reducing suicides on the rail network is highlighted as a key area within the cross-Government National Suicide Prevention Strategy (2012) where tailored and collaborative action can be taken. I will be having discussions soon with officials and our delivery partners about ways in which we can re-invigorate the delivery of the National Suicide Prevention Strategy.Public Health England published guidance to local authorities, Guidance for developing a local suicide prevention action plan (2014) and Preventing suicides in public places (2015), which include advice on working with local transport organisations to take preventative action to reduce suicides on the transport network.We continue to work with the British Transport Police, London Underground Limited, Network Rail, Samaritans and other partners to reduce suicides on the rail and underground networks.We support the joint work of Network Rail and Samaritans as part of the Tackling Suicides on the Railways programme, which has continued to grow since 2010. Since 2010, more than 8,000 rail staff, British Transport Police officers and Network Rail front line staff have received training from Samaritans.This partnership approach has led to the establishment of the National Suicide Prevention Group to tackle the issue of railway suicide, comprising Samaritans, Network Rail, British Transport Police, Train Operating Company representatives and the wider railway industry, such as the Association of Train Operating Companies, Rail Safety & Standards Board and rail unions.The British Transport Police is a signatory of the Crisis Care Concordat which aims to support people experiencing a mental health crisis. The Department of Health also provided funding support in 2014/15 to enable the British Transport Police to expand its suicide prevention programme to include the North of England as well as the South of England. The programme aims to reduce suicides on the transport network by identifying people who might be considering suicide on the transport network and linking them with support services.

Antidepressants: Children

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 17 December 2015 to Question 20084, if he will make it his policy to collect data concerning the number of prescriptions for anti-depressants that are dispensed by the NHS for patients aged under 18.

Alistair Burt: Currently, information is not available centrally concerning the age of patients prescribed and dispensed specific medicines. However, the NHS Business Services Authority is in the process of developing this capability so that, as a minimum, information can be provided from a sample of prescription items.

Autism: Diagnosis

Mr Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will ensure that NHS England's response to the Mental Health Taskforce includes securing access to timely autism diagnoses.

Mr Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that all GPs have received training on autism in order to ensure that referrals for diagnosis are made appropriately.

Alistair Burt: The report of the Mental Health Task Force is due to be published shortly. NHS England has commenced a programme to visit clinical commissioning groups to identify and share good practice in accessing timely autism diagnosis.In 2015, new statutory guidance for local authorities and National Health Service organisations to support the continued implementation of the 2010 Autism Strategy, as refreshed by its 2014 Think Autism update, set out expectations for autism training for general practitioners (GPs). The Department has also provided financial support to the Royal College of General Practitioners clinical priorities programme on autism which is undertaking practical work on autism awareness and training for GPs.GPs should be aware of what the local arrangements are for making referrals for autism diagnosis.

Autism

Mr Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what discussions his Department has had with NHS England on potential Clinical Commissioning Group Outcomes Indicator Set indicators on autism.

Alistair Burt: There have been no specific recent discussions between the Department and NHS England about including autism in NHS England’s Clinical Commissioning Group Outcomes Indicator Set (CCG OIS). CCG OIS measures are developed from NHS Outcomes Framework indicators that can be measured at CCG level together with additional indicators developed by National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) and the Health and Social Care Information Centre (HSCIC). NICE makes recommendations for new CCG OIS indicators via a public consultation process and an Advisory Committee of senior clinicians and commissioners which consider both CCG OIS and Quality Outcomes Framework indicators. NICE is supported by the HSCIC which quality assure indicators through its expert processes.

Patients: Safety

Emma Reynolds: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps are being taken to ensure that all NHS trusts are (a) identifying patient safety incidents, (b) conducting full investigations to identify the causes of such incidents and (c) implementing measures to prevent recurring such incidents.

Ben Gummer: Currently, NHS England has a leadership role for patient safety in the National Health Service and supports providers to identify, understand and manage risks that might affect the safety of patients. The primary source for identifying risks is the National Reporting and Learning System (NRLS). The NRLS operates as a database and holds over 1.4 million locally reported patient safety incidents. These are reviewed to help address the identified issues or risks in the NHS. NHS England alerts NHS trusts of emerging patient safety risks via the National Patient Safety Alerting System – a three-stage alerting process which ensures the timely sharing of relevant safety information. The system also encourages information sharing between organisations so that examples of best practice can be widely adopted.NHS trusts are expected to review their own patient safety incidents. The revised Serious Incident Framework published in March 2015 has sought to simplify the incident management process and ensure that serious incidents are identified correctly, investigated thoroughly and, most importantly, learned from to prevent the likelihood of similar incidents happening again.The NHS standard contract also stipulates that providers must consider and respond to the recommendations arising from any audit, Serious Incident report or Patient Safety Incident report.

Accident and Emergency Departments: Greater London

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what proportion of patients spent more than four hours in A&E departments from decision to admit to admission in each A&E department in London in each month since May 2010.

Jane Ellison: The Department of Health has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

HIV Infection

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what proportion of the population were recorded as having HIV in (a) England and Wales and (b) each London borough in each year since 2010.

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many (a) men and (b) women were diagnosed as having HIV in (i) the UK and (ii) each London borough in each year since 2010.

Jane Ellison: The proportion of the 15-59 year old population (standard reported population) recorded as having human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in England and Wales and across each of the London boroughs is shown in tables 1 and 2.The number of males and females newly diagnosed with HIV in the United Kingdom and across each of the London boroughs is shown in tables 3 and 4.The data to reflect this information can be found in the attachment.



Tables 1, 2, 3 and 4
(PDF Document, 207.78 KB)

Children: Obesity

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the change has been in average levels of individual obesity of children between 2005 and 2010.

Jane Ellison: Data from the Health Survey for England shows that in 2005 18.6% of children aged 2-15 years were obese and 16.0% in 2010.Table 1: Annual obesity prevalence for 2005 to 2010YearObesity prevalence children aged 2-15 (%)200518.6200616.3200716.8200816.0200915.7201016.0Source: Health Survey for England

School Milk

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many portions of milk have been reimbursed by his Department under the nursery milk scheme in each month of the last 10 years.

Jane Ellison: The Nursery Milk Scheme allows for the reimbursement of the cost of providing portions of one-third of a pint of milk per day to children under the age of five attending childminders or private and local authority nurseries for at least two hours a day. The Scheme covers England, Scotland and Wales; Northern Ireland has its own arrangements. The Department holds information relating to the number of portions of milk reimbursed in respect of claims from eligible settings in Great Britain since January 2009 and this information is in the following table.DateTotal Portions (1/3 pints) ClaimedJanuary 200918,123,707February 200917,637,807March 200921,558,309April 200917,371,970May 200916,221,249June 200913,432,093July 200915,464,454August 200911,467,147September 200916,389,034October 200920,382,597November 200916,079,212December 200917,391,428January 201015,680,452February 201024,496,820March 201033,011,644April 201022,567,652May 201017,782,066June 201021,798,146July 201021,923,309August 201023,117,196September 201015,810,902October 201020,081,579November 201023,160,564December 201020,662,622January 201123,048,244February 201125,351,169March 201126,415,006April 201122,494,397May 201118,211,857June 201124,807,226July 201124,435,096August 201120,694,290September 201115,889,141October 201120,655,967November 201121,672,552December 201124,047,889January 201223,045,503February 201225,555,512March 201229,047,089April 201226,723,281May 201221,223,680June 201223,990,408July 201223,634,192August 201223,634,192September 201210,813,985October 201218,973,780November 201222,527,849December 201221,635,603January 201320,907,751February 201327,996,321March 201323,764,641April 201323,390,936May 201320,100,589June 201321,982,896July 201323,393,113August 201322,317,209September 201313,218,322October 201322,600,819November 201325,334,664December 201324,340,053January 201420,978,012February 201426,176,219March 201426,673,043April 201422,229,447May 201420,175,242June 201422,182,139July 201426,207,194August 201420,259,095September 201413,121,733October 201422,573,963November 201426,413,799December 201424,221,524January 201524,901,748February 201525,079,913March 201525,432,666April 201525,831,561May 201519,519,236June 201523,815,213July 201527,758,159August 201520,262,151September 201516,068,770October 201525,258,995November 201526,127,900December 201528,076,574

NHS: Negligence

Robert Flello: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, when he plans to publish the responses received to his Department's pre-consultation on reducing legal costs in clinical negligence claims.

Ben Gummer: Feedback from the pre-consultation on the introduction of fixed recoverable costs (FRC) in clinical negligence claims has been used to inform the development of the FRC policy. We intend to publish a summary of the feedback within the consultation document in due course.

Department of Health: Senior Civil Servants

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many senior civil servants in his Department left to take up jobs in the (a) for-profit and (b) not-for-profit healthcare sector in the last six months.

Jane Ellison: The Department does not hold details of the new destinations or occupations of Civil Servants after they leave the Department. However, on leaving the Civil Service, individuals must consider whether an application under the Outside Business Appointments rules is required before accepting any new appointment or employment.The Department has received a total of five applications from Senior Civil Servants who left the Department between 30 June 2015 and 08 January 2016 – four were for roles within the not-for-profit healthcare sector and one was for the for-profit healthcare sector.The Department cannot confirm, however, that offers of employment were actually taken up.

Department of Health: Information Officers

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how much has been claimed in reimbursement expenses by press officers in (a) his Department and (b) his Department's executive agencies and public bodies in each fiscal year since 2010-11.

Jane Ellison: The reimbursable expenses claimed by press officers in the Department in each fiscal year since 2010-11 are detailed in the table below:Financial Year2010-112011-122012-132013-142014-15Department of Health£2,773.27£3,606.40£1,895.41£771.80£1,624.01The data covers reimbursable expenses claimed by the Department’s press officers for travel and subsistence.The expenses are reimbursed to staff in accordance with the Department’s policy, and will not include any rail or air tickets or hotel accommodation booked through the Department’s central booking.To collate the reimbursable expenses claimed by press officers in the Department’s executive agencies and public bodies in each fiscal year since 2010-11 is a disproportionate cost.

NHS: Negligence

Robert Flello: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, which groups were consulted in preparation of the equality impact assessment for the introduction of fixed recoverable costs in medical negligence cases.

Ben Gummer: The consultation stage assessment for the introduction of fixed recoverable costs for clinical negligence is work in progress. The Department has established a working group to look at the impact of the proposal on equalities, health inequalities and families. Membership (which has not been finalised) currently includes representatives of claimant lawyers, defence lawyers, patients and the National Health Service. We will seek views on the impact of the policy on equalities, health inequalities and families within the consultation.

Health Visitors

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many health visitors there were in each month since May 2010.

Ben Gummer: The attached table shows how many health visitors there were in each month in England from May 2010 to September 2015, which is the latest available figure from the Health and Social Care Information Centre’s monthly workforce statistics. Data from April 2012 onwards is taken from the Health Visitor Minimum Data Set and also includes numbers of health visitors employed by organisations that do not use the Electronic Staff Record but do provide NHS-funded services, such as local authorities.Full-time equivalent figures are used as this is the most accurate measure of service capacity.



Number of Health Visitors in England 2010-2015
(Excel SpreadSheet, 18.12 KB)

Anaemia: Children

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many children in England were diagnosed as anaemic or iron deficient in each of the last 10 years for which figures are available.

Jane Ellison: There are no figures available centrally for how many children in England were diagnosed as anaemic or iron deficient in each of the last 10 years.However, the National Diet and Nutrition Survey (NDNS) UK report has figures for the proportion of children in the United Kingdom with haemoglobin concentrations below a certain level that indicate anaemia, but are not necessarily diagnosed.Lower limits for haemoglobin have been set by the World Health Organization and are endorsed by the Scientific Advisory Committee for Nutrition.The figures below for the UK cover years 1, 2, 3 and 4 (combined) of the NDNS Rolling Programme (2008/09 to 2011/12).The estimated proportion of children in the UK with a haemoglobin concentration below the lower limits was:Age Group% below the lower limits1.5 to three years12.9four to ten years (boys)3.111 to 18 years (boys)1.8four to ten years (girls)5.711 to 18 years (girls)7.4

Accident and Emergency Departments: Greater London

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many incidents of A&E departments diverting admissions to other hospitals there were in London in each year since 2010.

Alistair Burt: The information is not available in the format requested.The following data includes incidences of accident and emergency departments diverting admissions to other hospitals in London during the period April 2012 to December 2015.Total Hospital Redirects: April 2012- December 20152012-132013-142014-152015-16April1932189May106612June916106July61789August74107September10191321October6251721November245839December21134229January361617February222216March311314Source: NHS EnglandNote:NHS England was formed in 2012. Therefore data are not available prior to this period.

School Fruit and Vegetable Scheme

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what recent estimate he has made of the take-up of the School Fruit and Vegetable Scheme by children from low-income families.

Jane Ellison: This information is not available. Take-up for the School Fruit and Vegetable Scheme is assessed as a percentage of eligible schools registered to receive fruit and vegetable boxes from the scheme. The prime contractor for the Scheme, NHS Supply Chain, estimates that 99% of eligible schools are registered with the scheme.

Mental Health Services

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 17 December 2015 to Question 20082, what the (a) dates, (b) locations and (c) organisations of the 19 visits and meetings referred to in that Answer were.

Alistair Burt: An error has been identified in the written answer given on 11 January 2016.The correct answer should have been:

Details of the 19 visits to or meetings with mental health trusts undertaken by Simon Stevens and Sir Bruce Keogh since their appointments as Chief Executive and Medical Director respectively are given on the attached table Details of meetings with and visits to mental health trusts undertaken by Simon Stevens and Sir Bruce Keogh since their appointments as Chief Executive and Medical Director respectively of NHS England. 



Mental health trust visits & meetings
(Word Document, 22.65 KB)

Alistair Burt: Details of the 19 visits to or meetings with mental health trusts undertaken by Simon Stevens and Sir Bruce Keogh since their appointments as Chief Executive and Medical Director respectively are given on the attached table Details of meetings with and visits to mental health trusts undertaken by Simon Stevens and Sir Bruce Keogh since their appointments as Chief Executive and Medical Director respectively of NHS England. 



Mental health trust visits & meetings
(Word Document, 22.65 KB)

Death

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what proportion of (a) GPs and (b) clinical commissioning groups have plans in place to identify avoidable deaths.

Alistair Burt: Data on the proportion of general practitioners and clinical commissioning groups that have plans in place to identify avoidable deaths is not collected centrally.

Mental Health Services: Older People

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 16 December 2015 to Question 19338, how the effect of the Equality Act 2010 on service provision in the NHS is monitored.

Jane Ellison: The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC), a statutory body established under the Equality Act 2006, is the regulator of the public sector equality duty (PSED). The EHRC works with National Health Service bodies as public authorities to encourage, guide, monitor and regulate activity on the public sector equality duty, including the extent to which NHS service provision is meeting the requirements of the equality duty.NHS England hosts the Equality and Diversity Council (EDC) and thereby helps to support organisations to meet the PSED, through initiatives and levers such as the Equality Delivery System (EDS2) and the development of information standards to enable consistent monitoring of access, experience and outcomes from healthcare across protected groups. The EDC has also committed to develop workforce equality standards across the protected groups.The Care Quality Commission includes equality in its inspection regime and forthcoming waves of inspection will specifically include EDS2.

Mental Health Services: Pregnant Women

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 9 November 2015 to Question 14919, what decisions have been made on how to spend the remaining funds that was allocated for perinatal mental health for 2015-16; and whether NHS England plans to spend the full £15 million allocation by the end of 2015-16.

Alistair Burt: The Budget in March 2015 and the Spending Review in November 2015 both recognised perinatal mental health services as a priority area for additional investment.On 11 January the Government set out an additional £290 million which will be made available over the next five years to 2020/21 to invest in perinatal mental health services. This builds on the initial investment announced at the Spring Budget, making a total investment from 2016/17 to 2020/21 of £350 million. This new funding, together with the recommendations of the forthcoming report of the independent Mental Health Taskforce, will enable NHS England to design a broader transformation programme to build capacity and capability in specialist perinatal mental health services, with the aim of enabling women in all areas of England to access NICE-concordant care by 2020/21.In the context of this planned broader programme, NHS England anticipates spending up to £5 million of the original 2015/16 funding of £15 million in this financial year, to lay the foundations for this longer-term work through targeted funding of activities to build capacity in specialist services. This will include, for example, a £1 million investment in strengthening clinical networks across the country. It is also expected to include providing national and regional benchmarking data and analytical support to regions, and developing clinical leadership capacity. Additional work will support both the development of specialist Mother and Baby Units in those regions identified as most in need of new services, and training and developing the perinatal workforce to build skills and capabilities within specialist teams.NHS England will work with partners over the coming months to develop the new programme for improving specialist perinatal mental health services. This will include setting detailed plans for how the additional investment will be targeted over the period to 2020/21.

Clinical Psychologists

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many Band 7 NHS psychologists were employed in each year since 2010-11.

Ben Gummer: The attached table shows the number of Band 7 clinical psychology staff employed in the National Health Service in England each year from September 2010 to September 2015. The figures are taken from the NHS hospital and community health services monthly workforce statistics, which are published by the Health and Social Care Information Centre.



Band 7 Clinical Psychology Staff
(Excel SpreadSheet, 19 KB)

Hospital Beds: Greater London

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many days of (a) acute and (b) non-acute delayed transfers of care there were in each health trust in London in each month since January 2010.

Alistair Burt: Official statistics for the number of days of acute and non-acute delayed transfers of care there were each month in each health trust in London since August 2010, are published monthly by NHS England on its website at the following address. This data was not collected prior to August 2010.https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/delayed-transfers-of-care/

Hospital Beds

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the longest a patient waited for discharge from hospital after being declared fit to leave was in (a) England and Wales, (b) London and (c) each health trust in London in (i) the last month for which figures are available and (ii) that month in each year from 2010 to 2014.

Alistair Burt: This information is not available in the format requested.Official statistics for National Health Service trusts in England are published by NHS England on the number of patients delayed on the last Thursday of each month and the total delayed days during the month for all patients delayed throughout the month.It is not possible to calculate the longest wait from these data.Health is a devolved matter in Wales.

Strokes

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the national stroke strategy in improving stroke outcomes.

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what plans he has to renew the national stoke strategy when it expires; and how he plans to build on the work done under that strategy.

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to improve post-acute stroke rehabilitation.

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what contribution the national stroke strategy has made to developing new technologies for use in treating stroke; and if he will make a statement.

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what criteria are used by his Department to determine which health priorities require a national strategy.

Jane Ellison: Since the publication ofthe National Stroke Strategy, diagnosis and treatment of stroke has improved in a number of areas:- access to immediate brain scanning has improved with 46% of patients being scanned within one hour of hospital arrival and 90% within 12 hours;- stroke patients do better when they are treated on a stroke unit. 83% of stroke patients now spend more than 90% of their time in hospitalon a stroke unit;and- clot busting drugs give a certain cohort of stroke patients a better chance of regaining their independence. Almost 12% of all stroke patients admitted to hospital receive these drugs – a rate that is higher than most other developed countries.Since publication of the strategy, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence has published technology appraisal and interventional procedures guidance on a number of new technologies to treat or prevent stroke and transient ischaemic attacks. Further information is available at:www.nice.org.uk/guidance/conditions-and-diseases/cardiovascular-conditions/stroke-and-transient-ischaemic-attackThe strategy has also encouraged the development of specialist care for stroke both in the acute phase and during rehabilitation. This combined with the Stroke Research Network (and subsequently the Clinical Research Network),funded through the National Institute for Health Research, has led to a huge increase in the number of people with stroke taking part in research, particularly randomised controlled trials.In terms of improvements in rehabilitation, there has been a significant growth in availability of services such as early supported discharge and community neuro-rehabilitation teams over recent years. For example, recent data shows that 74% of hospitals had access to stroke specific early supported discharge and 72% to specialist community rehabilitation teams.Although these figures are encouraging, there is more to do. NHS England recognises this and, in collaboration with the Royal College of Physicians stroke programme and the Strategic Clinic Networks, is working with clinical commissioning groups to support areas where improvement is needed.The strategy remains valid and implementation of it continues.There are, therefore, no current plans to renew the national stroke strategy. Action is being taken to ensure the progress made on stroke continues. This includes:- ongoing work in virtually all parts of the country to organise acute stroke care to ensure that all stroke patients, regardless of where they live or what time of the day or week they have their stroke, have access to high quality specialist care;- publication of the Cardiovascular Disease (CVD) Outcomes Strategy in 2013, which includes many stroke specific strategic ambitions;- a CVD expert forum, hosted by NHS England, to coordinate delivery of the work which was initiated in the CVD Outcomes Strategy; and- NHS England’s National Clinical Director for Stroke works with the Strategic Clinical Networks, CCGs, voluntary agencies and individual providers to support better commissioning and provision of stroke care.More generally, the NHS Five Year Forward Viewrecognises thatquality of care, including stroke care, can be variable and that patients’ needs are changing and new treatment options are emerging. The Five Year Forward View sets out high level objectives to address these issues.NHS England uses a wide variety of mechanisms to inform thinking about the clinical priorities for the NHS, including public involvement (such as through the NHS citizen process) and analysis of the clinical challenges and opportunities to deliver improvement which exist. In addition, the recommendations of Parliament and the National Audit Office are key considerations.Final decisions about the priorities for the NHS are determined through the Government’s Mandate to NHS England.

Blood: Contamination

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, with reference to his contribution of 9 September 2015, Official Report, column 88WH, when he expects the National Archives to publish those documents on contaminated blood from 1986 to 1995.

Jane Ellison: The documents have been transferred to The National Archives. They have advised that the documents will be released by 3 March 2016.It should be noted that, as part of his inquiry, Lord Penrose had access to all documents on blood safety from the period in question, held by the Department.

Women and Equalities

Government Equalities Office: Pay

Liz Kendall: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what the highest salary is of a (a) woman and (b) man in the Government Equalities Office.

Caroline Dinenage: The highest salary for a woman in the Government Equalities Office (GEO) is between £90,000 and £94,999.The highest salary for a man in GEO is between £75,000 and £79,999.

Government Equalities Office: Staff

Liz Kendall: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, how many people of each gender work in the Government Equalities Office.

Caroline Dinenage: 35 female and 20 male members of staff currently work in the Government Equalities Office.